Cinderella Tom
by Ekwy
Summary: When his human finds herself abandoned, the Rum Tum Tugger decides to make an enormous sacrifice to help her out.
1. Paige's Kitty

Disclaimer: Okay, CATS doesn't belong to me. This idea was also inspired by Mystitat's Fanfic Idea Page (it's not my fault that that chick has such an abundance of great ideas.) It has also been written by JellicleMuse, which explains why you recognize the plot. Though I asked both of them if I could write it anyway, and they said yes, so here I am, writing it.

**A/N:** This is basically the first time I'm trying to write Bombalurina properly, so I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me how it went.

I hope you all had a pleasant holiday with lots of presents and good food!

**One: Paige's Kitty**

What first alerted the Rum Tum Tugger that his youngest human was on her way home, was always the steps in the stairs. She had a special way of taking two steps at the time, like she couldn't wait to get home. The sound always made Tugger awake completely from his catnap and stretch out before trotting off into the kitchen.

He knew Paige's routine perfectly well by now. When she came home from school she always dumped her backpack in the hallway, and then she came straight into the kitchen to make herself a snack and feed the cat. That was why he always parked himself perfectly by the kitchen cupboard, to be as close to the food as possible. He was hungry.

There was a thud from the hallway, and Tugger grinned to himself. Only a moment afterward Paige swept into the room, her brown hair tousled and her cheeks reddened from the strong wind outside.

"Afternoon Tiggery," she greeted him. "I didn't wake you from your nap, did I?"

"As a matter of fact you did," replied Tugger, although of course Paige didn't understand him. "But no matter. I'm hungry. Where's my food?"

Almost as if she'd heard what he said, Paige opened the door to the bottom cupboard, where the tins of cat food were stored. The family had given up the idea of just buying one brand of cat food for their pet a long time ago. He would love chicken one day and refuse to eat it the next, and Paige was basically the only person in the household who could stand having to feed him. She usually just opened the cupboard and allowed him to bustle about in there until a tin had been properly selected, and then proceed to open it and serve him. She always made a sandwich for herself in the time it took for him to decide, and then the two ate together.

Today, Tugger picked the tuna. He rolled it out on the floor and came out of the cupboard. Paige grinned at him.

"An excellent choice, sir Tiggery," she said and picked up the tin.

When she had emptied half of the contents in his food bowl and refilled his water, she sat down with a glass of milk and cheese on toast.

"You know the school dance I've told you about?" she asked him conversationally.

"Since it's all you ever bloody talk about, yes," muttered Tugger into his food bowl.

"Well, I was hoping Andy would ask me out, but today I found out he's taking Lucy Briggs..." Paige sighed glumly. "Not really a surprise, but, you know... It would have been nice to have a date to that dance. Every girl in my class is going, and I'm the only one without someone to go with."

She finished her milk in silence. Tugger lifted his head and meowed in what he thought was a somewhat comforting way. There was a sadness in her eyes that he didn't quite like. Paige smiled a little at him.

"What's that you say, Tiggery?" She stood and picked him up into her arms, pressing him against her chest. "Oh, I would love to go to the dance with you!"

She began waltzing around the kitchen with him, humming some sort of nonsense song to herself. Tugger allowed it for a moment or two. The girl was sad, of course, and as her cat it was one of his duties to make her feel better. But then, there were limits. Human dancing was boring and involved too much spinning, so after a minute or so he meowed loudly to make her stop.

Paige sighed and put him back down on the floor. "Sorry Tiggery."

Then, to his horror, her face scrunched up and she started crying. The tears came immediately, and she sank to her knees sobbing as if her heart was bursting.

"Aw now, babe, don't be like that..." Tugger started rubbing himself against her legs and head-butt her playfully. "I didn't mean it like that. You can spin me around for a little while longer if you want. But then you'll have to clean vomit out of the carpet, and I know you just hate doing that." He purred softly. "Don't cry."

Paige's hand reached out and stroke him over the head. Her fingers ran through his mane and made him purr even harder. She smiled through her tears.

"You're nice to me," she whispered and pulled him into her arms again.

She sat there on the floor, stroking and petting him affectionately for several minutes. Tugger let down all defences and just enjoyed it. There were times when you just had to stand being cuddled, and this was one of them.

"Why doesn't anyone like me?" asked Paige silently as her tears started falling again. "Am I really that repulsive? I wouldn't be such a bad girlfriend, I think. I'd be a really good one. You think it's because I'm too fat?"

"Nah, you're not fat, babe," murmured Tugger and curled up on her lap. "Any boy would be lucky to have you. They just don't know what's good for them, that's all."

"It is, isn't it? Maybe I should get on a diet. As of tomorrow, no more sweets. Forever. Except possibly on Saturdays. And I'll start exercising too."

"Atta girl."

Tugger knew full well that Paige wouldn't keep those promises. She had broken them hundreds of times before. But making them made her feel good about herself, so...

Paige sniffled. "You know I'm getting rather good at saying that now. I almost believe it myself."

She started sobbing again. This time, there just didn't seem to be any end to her tears. She hugged Tugger as tightly as she dared and kissed him on the head. He tolerated it. This wasn't the time for pride.

"Okay Paige," she said to herself after a while. "Pull yourself together. Okay. Breathe."

She forced her own breathing to slow down until the shivers in her breaths disappeared, and then she let go of Tugger and stood up. She went back into the kitchen and cleaned up after her snack, and then she went into her bedroom. Tugger followed her, partly to keep an eye on her and partly because he was bored. He jumped up on his special place, the green comfy chair in the corner with a view over the bed, and there he curled up comfortably. Paige sat on the bed and grabbed her pillow. She hugged it thoughtfully.

"There," she said. "That's better."

Her sadness was still in her eyes, but it lay dormant for now. There were quite a lot of things that Tugger really hated; mostly they involved other people making decisions for him, but now he found that he really didn't like the look on Paige's face when her eyes looked like that at all. No, not at all.

"I really would like a date for the dance," mumbled Paige. "Wouldn't that be something, Tiggery? Yeah..."

She lay down on the bed, still with the pillow in her arms. She yawned. Paige was very much like a cat in the aspect that she enjoyed taking a nap when she got home from school. Her mother didn't like that and claimed that she ruined her night sleep, but Paige did it anyway. Now she crept down beneath the sheets and closed her eyes.

Tugger jumped up into the bed and made himself comfortable. He was thinking. He rather liked his weird little human. He knew he was a difficult cat to have around, actually he took a certain amount of pride in that, but still he appreciated a mistress who stood by him and cared for him despite his ways. Paige's parents just got annoyed with him for being so contrary all the time, but she had never even raised her voice at him.

He wanted to help her. That was a rather peculiar feeling for the Rum Tum Tugger, wanting to help someone. He didn't do that a lot.

He waited until Paige had fallen asleep, and then he jumped off the bed and padded up to his cat door. Paige's father had had it installed ages ago, when the family grew tired of opening the door for him every time he decided he wanted out or in. The door was actually located in Paige's window and lead out to the roof, from which there was no trouble getting down to street level if you were a cat. Tugger did just that. Without any trouble he descended into the alley behind the house. He trotted off, calm in knowing that the collar he was wearing kept him safe from cat-catches and that his legs would keep him safe from stray dogs.

He reached the Jellicle junkyard, which was bustling with life. Jennyanydots was having a class in crocheting with the mice and the cockroaches in a corner, and she gave Tugger a kind smile when he walked past her. He nodded back and grinned.

The queen kits stood huddled together, probably admiring something new and priceless that Victoria's humans had given her, but they immediately looked up and sighed dreamily when they saw him coming.

"Ladies," he grinned. "Always a pleasure." He caught sight of something gleaming around the white kitten's neck. "Victoria, love, is that a diamond collar?"

"Yes," she whispered, her blue eyes huge and dazzling as she stared at him.

"Love it. You look fantastic."

"Th-thank you."

He winked at her. "Catch you later. Bye, ladies."

"Bye Tugger!" they chorused and giggled in delight.

Tugger had barely gone two steps before Bombalurina showed up. She sassed up to him, smiling flirtily.

"I was wondering when I'd see you again, baby," she purred in his ear. "So when are you coming to visit me? I'll guarantee it will be worth your while."

"Hmm..." Tugger ran his eyes up and down her body. "Perhaps later. I have a previous engagement with a certain magical cat."

"Do you love Mistoffelees more than you love me?" asked Bombalurina, smiling.

Tugger nuzzled her, purring in the way he knew made her crazy. "He wishes, babe."

She sighed contentedly and pressed up against him, but he pulled away.

"Sorry, love. Gotta go."

Bombalurina sent him a dark glance, but said nothing and stormed off. He had upset her. Again. Ah well. She always forgave him and begged him to come back, which he would be happy to do, later. Right now he had another mission, although granted, it did seem rather far away at the moment now that he was with his peers.

He found Mistoffelees stretched out comfortable on the Jellicle tire. The tuxedo had his eyes closed, but he still said: "Hello Tugger" when the maned cat approached.

"Hey Misto. What that some sort of magical thing that you just did? Did you like... feel my aura or something?"

Mistoffelees quirked a smile and opened his eyes. "Oh yes. It was the magic thing called 'listening.' One can hear you coming a mile away, mate."

Tugger grinned. "That's what Bombs usually says, too."

Mistoffelees turned pink. "I thought I told you, none of that around me."

"I know. But it's just so funny to embarrass you." Tugger sat down next to the magician. "Anyway. There was something that I wanted to discuss with you. Don't worry," he said when he saw the look on Mistoffelees' face, "it's nothing 'disgusting.'"

Mistoffelees sighed. "Okay, go ahead."

Tugger took a deep breath. "Say you have this human, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"And she's sad, because there's going to be a dance at her school, and no one's invited her to go, right?"

"With you so far."

"And you want to help her."

"Okay."

Tugger fell silent.

"That's it, then?" said the magician after a moment of silence. "That's your problem? Your human giving you trouble?"

"She doesn't give _me_ trouble, she's the one _in_ trouble. And I want to help her. Is there anything I can do?" Tugger sighed. "I've never had a female sob like that around me before."

"I should hope not. That means you're obviously doing _something_ right."

Tugger grinned. "I might just make a kidder out of you yet. Seriously though, Misto, I wish there was something I could do to help her out."

"But there isn't. You're a cat and she's a human. Why do you care so much anyway?"

"Paige has been good to me," said Tugger simply. "She tolerates my disobliging ways. Few people do that, you know."

Mistoffelees rolled his eyes. "You don't have to tell _me_."

"I want to do something for her." There was a pause. "Hey, I've got a wild and somewhat crazy idea..."


	2. The Bad Idea

**Two: The Bad Idea**

"You're out of your mind."

"Maybe I am!" grinned Tugger. "Is it at all possible?"

Mistoffelees shrugged. "Possible, sure... Just very, _very_ difficult. It would involve magic I've only ever heard about. Heaviside magic."

"But possible?"

"Well, yeah... But Tugger, you can't be serious?"

"Why not?"

Mistoffelees' fur was starting to stand on end. "Because it's dangerous! Why would you want to take such a risk for a human?"

Tugger was silent for a moment, and then he said: "Because she fell asleep crying. Because I saw how heartbroken she was. Because she thinks she's repulsive when she really... isn't. She shouldn't think that of herself."

The magician snorted. "It's your funeral, mate."

"So you'll help me?"

"I suppose you won't leave me alone until I do," Mistoffelees sighed.

Tugger smiled. "Brilliant. So how soon can it be done?"

Mistoffelees raised a paw to calm him down. His yellow eyes gleamed, but he was smiling.

"Not so fast, tiger. Do you know anything at all about... being human?" He said the last part hesitatingly, as if he couldn't really believe he was going through with this.

Tugger paused. "Um. No."

"Hm. Figured as much."

The magician stood up and stretched out, yawning.

"So how are you supposed to convince this poor girl that you two are actually of the same specie? How are you supposed to go to this school dance if you can't move like a human? How are you..."

"Yeah, yeah, okay, I get it," interrupted Tugger. "So what do you suggest I do about it?"

Mistoffelees grinned widely. "I don't know. Charm school?"

"The dance is in two weeks!"

"That's perfect. I'll need a few days to prepare for this. Until then, you can prepare for the transformation. By learning something." He nodded towards Jennyanydots, who was scolding a young mouse for running around in the middle of class. "Go and see Jenny and Jelly about that. They know a lot about humans, so they should be able to teach you something. After all." He winked. "You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself in front of the lady, would you?"

* * *

"Tugger, dear, are you sure about this?" asked Jennyanydots kindly when the maned cat sat down in front of her as her students left for recess.

A very small mouse looked at Tugger with a tilted head and open mouth. Its little whiskers vibrated. Tugger showed his teeth, and the mouse squeaked with fear and ran off.

"Rum Tum Tugger, you behave," scolded Jennyanydots and frowned at him. "Just because they're smaller than you doesn't give you the right to bully them about."

"Sorry Jen," said Tugger with his most charming smile. "Look." He sighed and sneaked up a little closer to the old queen. "I'm not asking you to teach me tatting. Just a little bit about humans. How they act, how they do things. You know?"

Jennyanydots smiled. "Don't you try your charms on me, you devious thing. I'm much to old for that."

"My dear Jenny, you certainly don't look it."

She swatted at him. "Stop that. Very well. But if I'm going to teach you anything at all, I want you to pay attention. There will be no dilly-dally, you hear me?"

"Certainly. When shall we begin?"

"Right away, perhaps?" When Tugger didn't protest, she continued. "Now. There is one thing you must know about humans. It's a thing that affects their lives and basically everything they do. I got this from Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. Hold on a moment."

She turned around and jumped up into the car. She slunk into the front seat, and there was a rattle as she opened the glove compartment and took something out. She returned and proudly showed him what she had brought.

It was a small, shining silver disc. It was not exactly round, but had been formed so that it had seven sides. There were some markings on it, human writing, and a picture of a woman in profile. Tugger was pretty sure he had seen something like this before, probably in Paige's room.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's a coin. It's _money_. Humans use it all the time. They exchange it for things, like services or food."

"My humans usually say that they spend a fortune on buying me cat food," smirked Tugger. "So this is what they spend?"

Jenny nodded. "Yes. It's very important to have money. Without it, they don't seem able to do anything."

"I shall be needing that, then," muttered Tugger to himself.

"What did you say, dear?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing... Did you say Jerrie and Teazer gave this to you?"

"Yes. It was a present."

"I see. All right. You don't happen to know the next time those two are coming to the junkyard, do you?"

"Well, they should be on their way right now. It's Tuesday. They always show up on Tuesday, never failing."

"Brilliant!" Tugger looked very pleased. Things were coming together nicely. "So what were you saying about this money thing..?"

* * *

About two hours later, Tugger heard the trademark sound of Rumpleteazer giggling, and he smiled widely.

"Ah, my favourite pair of burglars!" he called out as the calico siblings came out of the shadows.

Mungojerrie jumped, but Rumpleteazer merely grinned.

"'Ello Tugger," she said. "How's life as a profess'nal heart-breaker treatin' ya?"

"Not bad, not bad at all," Tugger chuckled. "It's good that you're here, both of you. I've got a little favour to ask. Or, you know, more of a question."

"That so?" said Mungojerrie. "Well, shoot."

"The things that you take from humans... What do you do with them?"

Rumpleteazer shrugged. "We let them lie aroun', mostly. Once you've taken 'em, there's really not much excitement left, ya know."

"Do you have any... money?"

Mungojerrie snorted. "Have we any money... Of course we've got money. Tons of it. A whole treasure chest. Why d'you ask?"

"No reason," replied Tugger innocently. Then he sighed in defeat. He might as well tell them. Odds were, they were going to find out what he was planning anyway. "I might need that money."

The siblings both raised an eyebrow. "What for?" they chorused.

Tugger explained what he intended to do. He told them about Paige, about the sadness in her eyes, about her hope to get a date for her silly dance. And then he said: "So my plan is that I get turned into a human by Mistoffelees, and then I'll take her to that dance myself! But for that I'll need money, and that's where you come in. So what do you say?"

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer exchanged a glance.

"I dunno, Tug," said the tom. "It seems very dangerous. Are ya really sure ya want to do it?"

"I've had this conversation with Misto already. It's no use that you try and talk me out of it. Either you help me, or you don't."

The siblings looked at each other again. Rumpleteazer giggled a little, and her brother smirked.

"What the hell," he said. "That money's just goin' ta waste anyway. Ya might as well have it. Come along."

He nodded for Tugger to follow them, which he did. The thieves led him across the junkyard and into an abandoned warehouse. It was stuffed with old boxes and things stacked together so tight that one had to jump from one box to another to get across the room. Apparently Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had taken this route many times before, for they knew exactly where they were going. In the middle of the room there was an opening between the boxes. It was too narrow for a human, but a cat could easily slink through. Rumpleteazer went first in, and Tugger followed her.

He had thought that he would simply end up in-between boxes, but he had been wrong. The opening actually lead inside a box. It was very dark in there, but his feline eyes got used to it within seconds. The box was stacked with shining things. There were coins like Jennyanydots had shown him, of course, but also other sorts, in other metals. There was a silver goblet of some sort with human inscriptions on it, and a large plate had been placed so that it leaned against one wall of the box. And of course there were pearls. Tugger knew that Rumpleteazer had a special fondness for pearls, so he wasn't exactly surprised.

"D'ya like it?" she asked hopefully. "It's our secret lair. We keep our treasures in here."

"It's a great place," said Tugger truthfully. "And now, unfortunately, not very secret anymore."

Mungojerrie chuckled. "Nah, we have a dozen or so other places around the town. We're not so stupid that we're just keeping it all in one place."

"Anyway," his sister added. "Whatever ya want, ya can take it. It's not like we actually need it for somethin'. We just like how it looks."

"All right. The coins look pretty good." Tugger hesitated. "Those big ones right there... Are they worth more than the others?"

"Ah, so young, so innocent, so unknowin' about the worth of money," sighed Mungojerrie. "It's endearin' really, don't ya think, sis?"

"Very sweet." Rumpleteazer shook her head. "Don't worry, Tug. We'll teach you everythin' we know 'bout this. You'll be a right expert when the time comes to ask out ya little human lady friend, just sit down and listen. We'll get ya ready."


	3. Transforming

**Three: Transforming**

The following week, Tugger made preparations for his transformation. He was only home with Paige for the meals, and then he had to hurry back to the junkyard. He persuaded Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer to raid their male human's closet and come up with some clothes for him, since he had gathered that no human ever went around naked in public. He wanted to blend in and make sure that Paige would talk to him.

At least three times a day he poked his head into Mistoffelees' lair to check how far the magician had come in his attempts to invoke whatever magic was needed. He understood that the process would apparently need Coricopat and Tantomile as well, which frankly made him a little nervous. The Dark Twins always freaked him out just a bit, and their presence alerted him to just exactly how serious this magic would be. Mistoffelees hardly ever needed their help in his spells anymore.

Finally the day came. When Tugger showed up at the junkyard on the morning, the magician was already waiting for him. He was practically beaming.

"I did it," he whispered excitedly. "It's all been prepared. You'll have to come with me now."

"What? Really?" Tugger felt a sting of nervousness, but also excitement. The day he had been waiting for was finally here.

"Yeah, but we can't do it here," said Mistoffelees in a low voice. "It would be too obvious. You need a place where you're hidden from sight by both humans and cats, but which is big enough for you even when you're... changed. So come on!"

He turned and started running. He was acting as if he had taken a large dose of catnip; Tugger had never seen him so joyous. The maned cat followed him into a basement in a nearby house. It was dark and the air had a hint of mildew, but it was warm and dry and the perfect place for this bit of magic.

Coricopat and Tantomile were already there, and their identical yellow eyes followed Tugger as he went up do them. He swallowed and avoided looking at them. Instead he took in the room. On the floor in front of him, someone had drawn a circle in white sand. The sand was so fine it almost looked like flour. In the middle of the circle was a simple white candle, which was not lit.

"Let me guess, I'm supposed to sit in that circle?" asked Tugger.

"Yes. It is a protected environment," replied Mistoffelees. "We can control everything that happens in that circle. Tantomile cast it earlier today. You sit inside it, as close to the candle as possible, and then we'll chant for a bit, and, if everything goes as planned, you shall be human."

Tugger gracefully jumped into the circle and put a paw on the candle. "There. I'm ready."

"Tugger, before we begin, I must warn you. This isn't going to be pretty. Your entire body will change. You will be another specie."

"I know. But it's safe, isn't it?"

Mistoffelees looked at the Twins. "It should be. But... You know, there isn't really any existing magic that deals with this. We had to make some up as we went along. It should be safe and relatively painless, but you still should know... Will it be worth it?"

Tugger grinned. "I think so, yeah." He turned his head to look at the Twins, forcing himself to sound cheerful. "And what about you two, eh? Are you going to try to talk me out of it, too?"

Coricopat and Tantomile both smiled, and when they spoke, they spoke as one voice. "Your intentions are noble, Rum Tum Tugger. Your heart is kind. We know that nothing we say can make you take this back."

Tugger quirked a smile back. "Thanks."

"You are welcome."

Without another word, the magicians went over to sit around the circle. Tugger felt a change in the atmosphere. His fur stood straight up from the electricity, and if he peered to the left he could see Mistoffelees' paws glow. Golden sparks slowly started to rotate around the circle, showering Tugger and the candle with shimmering dust.

Coricopat and Tantomile began chanting. It was monotonous, basically the same command repeated again and again, and it was not in a language that Tugger understood.

He had not expected the change to start so fast. He didn't get any warning at all before it began. The first thing that he experienced was growing. Everything grew smaller, while he seemed to get so big he'd soon hit his head on the ceiling.

The chanting intensified and turned different. Another command.

Tugger suddenly felt cold as all his fur disappeared and he found himself being completely naked and vulnerable on a chilly stone floor. His pale skin became visible as the fur went away, and it darkened to a more human fleshy colour.

Another change in the chanting. Now Mistoffelees joined. With eyes that were slowly losing their night-vision, Tugger could see that the magician's jaws were tense, and that his mouth moved as if he was in a trance.

With a groan Tugger's bones started growing and changing. It felt strange, but there was no pain. He probably should be thankful for that, since he couldn't imagine how the transformation would have been if he would have felt all these changes. As it were, he only felt cold and slightly dizzy.

The chanting reached it's crescendo, and then it stopped. Tugger blinked a few times. The world had turned into a much darker place.

"If we... go on," panted Mistoffelees as he shook himself free of the trance, "you will... lose your ability... to understand us. That would... complicate things. This is... how far we can go." He groaned. "I'm so tired..."

"It shall pass," said Coricopat. He and his sister didn't seem tired at all. "It was your first time doing something this big. You should rest and gain more strength." He looked at Tugger. "How are you feeling?"

Tugger took a deep breath. "I haven't really checked yet." He hadn't been prepared for how loud his voice would be, and he reacted like all cats do to unexpected noises, by arching his back and hissing. But there was something wrong. His body wouldn't obey, and he fell on his side.

He heard Mistoffelees snigger.

"Shut up, Misto," he muttered, still flinching at the sound.

"I can't... help it, Tug. You look... ridiculous."

Fear clutched Tugger's heart. "I do?"

"Do not listen to him," smiled Tantomile. "You look human. The lady will be pleased."

"Remember what you have been taught," said Coricopat. "Do not use all of your money at once. We do not know how much you shall need." He nodded towards the pile of clothes that Tugger had made Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer steal for him. "Now you shall get dressed."

It took Tugger a great while to make himself ready, mostly because putting the pants on forced him to stand up first. He was not used to being so tall, and was on his way to lose his balance more than once before he noticed that he could use his hands to make sure he remained standing. He found himself fascinated by his hands. They were so much more useful than his paws. It felt like he could do anything with them.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had been very considerate in that they had made sure that the clothes they picked lacked any type of buttons or zippers. So when Tugger was finally done, he stood straight, wearing a black t-shirt with a very blurry picture of some kind of flames and a human skull, and black comfy trousers. He had been offered a pair of tight, white briefs as well, but had refused to put them on, saying that the comfy trousers were bad enough. He had wanted to get rid of the white trainers they had brought as well, but he knew that humans always wore shoes, so he couldn't exactly refuse those.

"There," he said when he'd finished. "What do you think?" He spun around slowly in front of the magicians. "Can I pass for a human?"

Coricopat and Tantomile looked at him, and then they looked at each other. They hesitated, but then they said: "Yes."

Mistoffelees smiled weakly. "Now go... and court... this lady of yours."

Tugger frowned at him. "I won't be 'courting' anything. She's only a kitten."

"Hasn't... stopped you before."

* * *

Tugger emerged from the basement and into the sunlight. He blinked. The entire world felt different, which was probably to be expected considering the eyes he now saw it with. Everything seemed more... colourful. He had not really bothered with colours when he was a cat. Sometimes he had noticed they were there, but he had never been as aware of them as he was now. The world was full of them.

The street he came out on was packed with people. They brushed by him, not caring that he was there at all, which Tugger was quite relieved for. Granted, he was used to being the centre of attention wherever he went, but as things were now, he was quite happy with being just one in the crowd.

'Now what do I do?' he thought.

The answer came right away. Find Paige. She was the whole reason for this masquerade, and this whole thing would be a waste if he couldn't talk to her. But where could he find her? Just going to her house probably wouldn't be the best idea if he wanted her to trust him, which he did.

'Let's see, what day is it... Wednesday. She should come home early from school today, and this is the way she takes. All I have to do is wait.'

So wait he did. The transformation had taken about thirty minutes to complete, and it was now mid-morning. There would be several hours before he could even start expecting Paige to pass by. It was rather unfortunate, since Tugger had never been very patient in any aspect of his life. He toyed with the idea of sitting down in one of the dozens of small cafés that lined the street, but then decided against it. He had his pocket full off one and two-pound coins, since that was what the burglar cats had taught him were worth the most, but was afraid to use it. He had no idea how much things would cost, and he was planning on buying Paige something.

Instead he sat down and amused himself with thinking of things that he would say to Paige when he met her for his first time as a human. He figured that human girls probably fell for about the same things that queens did, but ever female was different and there was never any guarantee that anything he could throw at her would work. It was a good thing that he had been Paige's cat for several years and knew what she liked and disliked.

When Paige finally showed up he almost didn't recognize her. She wasn't moving as fast as she did when she was home, and she walked with her face staring down on her feet instead of where she was going. She was also very small. Paige had of course always been bigger than Tugger, but now he felt like he could easily pick her up and scratch her behind the ears rather than the other way around. It was a somewhat bizarre feeling.

"Here goes," muttered Tugger to himself.

He took a few steps out on the streets. The few people that paid any attention to him gave him odd looks and pulled back, and Tugger ignored them. He was fully concentrated on Paige. She was just about to round the corner...

He walked into her, just hard enough to make her stop and look up at him. Her eyes seemed to travel forever over his body until they finally reached his face. To his immense satisfaction, it caused her to drop her backpack and spill the contents out on the street. She gasped and muttered a curse under her breath, and then she sank down to pick everything up. Tugger tried a smile.

"Oh, terribly sorry," he said. "I didn't hurt you, did I? Let me help you with that."

Paige blushed hard as he bent down and started to ­ somewhat clumsily since he wasn't quite used to his hands yet ­ pick up her belongings and give them to her to put them back in the bag.

"Oh no, it was my fault," she mumbled. "I should watch where I'm going..."

Tugger's eyes fell upon a photograph Paige had kept in her backpack, and his mouth fell open just a little bit. The picture was that of Paige herself, with her hair neatly combed, wearing a nice dress, having Tugger on her lap and smiling at the camera. Tugger remembered that day clearly. He had fussed a lot about getting his picture taken since it involved him having a bath first, but he had calmed down when Paige had picked him up.

'I truly am one fine specimen,' he thought contentedly to himself.

Loudly he just said: "Nice cat," and gave the picture to Paige.

She smiled widely. "Thank you! His name is Tiggery. He's a Maine Coon."

"I can see that. I've... had a cat like that, once. Very stubborn."

"Tiggery can be that too, sometimes," sighed Paige. "My parents can't stand it. But I love him so much, I don't care about that."

Tugger smiled. "That's nice." He paused for a moment. "My name is Tom, by the way. Tom Tugger."

He had thought of the name almost immediately after having transformed, since he knew that humans had other names than cats. They didn't even seem to care much about what they were called, which was kind of weird.

"Hi... Tom Tugger," giggled Paige. "My name is Paige Talbot."

"Nice to meet you, Paige Talbot," repeated Tugger and smiled. Then he frowned. "You know, there is something about you that's familiar... I can't quite place it."

"That's strange," said Paige. "Because I was just thinking that there was something familiar about you too... Like I... No, forget it."

She blushed again. She reminded Tugger quite a lot of Etcetera, all wide-eyed and innocent with a sweet but child-like face.

"You can say, Paige Talbot," he said.

"I was just going to say that it was like I know you. But that's silly, so forget it. Sorry. I'll go now."

"Why?"

She paused, and then she smiled. "No reason, really."

If Tugger had known what a high-five was, he would have done one in his head.


	4. Out With the Lady

**Four: Out With the Lady**

Tugger stared at the scribbling on the blackboard at the café. He had never bothered much with human writing, which was rather unfortunate right now. He had learned the numbers when Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had taught him about money, but that was basically all he recognized. Paige, who's cheeks were still red and eyes practically sparkling with happiness, was reading the menu intently.

"What are you having?" she asked.

"Whatever you're having, love," he replied smoothly. "Here you go." He dug into his pocket and produced several large coins, which he handed over to Paige. "It's on me."

She giggled. "Okay. You can go and find us a table in the meantime."

Tugger bowed his head. "As you wish."

He picked out a table by the window and sat down. The café was quite small and had little business compared to the others on that street, but it smelled fresh and the food looked good, so Tugger didn't complain. The ex-cat sat and looked out on the street as he waited for Paige. People passed him, clearly in a hurry to get to wherever it was that humans got to, no one stopped to notice or admire anything.

'What dull little lives they must be living,' thought Tugger and shook his head.

Suddenly he spotted something black-and-white disappearing into a trash can, hiding from view. Tugger squinted. Everlasting Cat, would he ever get used to these weak human eyes? Even so, his poor eyesight was quite enough to figure out that he was being watched. Probably by Mistoffelees.

'He got well-rested quickly enough,' thought Tugger bitterly. 'I shall have to talk this over with him. It's very impolite to spy on me.'

At that moment, Paige showed up. She was balancing a tray with two large cups of something sweet-smelling and foamy, and she carefully placed it on the table in front of Tugger. His first instinct was to refuse it, like he always refused everything, but then he figured that Paige probably would find that impolite. Her accepting it when her cat did it was a completely different thing than accepting that a potential date did it. So he smiled, said "thanks, love" and carefully watched how Paige proceeded to sip her drink. She grimaced momentarily and stirred some sort of white powder from a small paper bag into her cup. Then she sipped it again, now seemingly finding the taste more pleasant.

Tugger did the exact same thing. There were a lot of small paper bags in some sort of metal basket on the table, so he simply picked one, tore it open and stirred in the white powder. As he did so, some of the white foam that floated at the top of the liquid got stuck to his spoon, so he licked it off.

The taste of the foam was rather nonexistent. It was sweet and airy, like tasting a cloud or mist, and he detected that there was probably some kind of dairy involved as well. All in all, it was all right. The brown liquid that hid underneath on the other hand was a horrid, bitter explosion on his tongue, and he couldn't stop himself from grimacing at it. Thankfully his company did not seem to have noticed.

Tugger took a peek at Paige. She was stirring her drink with her spoon, watching the foam swirl as if hypnotized by it. It was clear that she was pretty nervous. Tugger had seen her on mornings when she had some major test in school, and he was reminded of that now.

"You alright, love?" he asked. "You look a little tense."

Paige jumped, surprised that he had spoken, and then her cheeks coloured. "Sorry, I was just... in my own world. Sorry. Um. How did you like your coffee?"

'Coffee,' Tugger repeated to himself. 'I have to remember that.'

"The best coffee I've ever tasted," he said, smiling.

It was not a lie, when you thought about it.

* * *

They ended up having quite a nice time. The digital clock in the café had turned five pm when Paige's eyes suddenly widened in horror and she fumbled for her mobile phone.

"Oh damn it, damn it, damn it..."

"What's the matter?" asked Tugger in surprise.

She had immediately gone from speaking rather enthusiastically about her cat (a subject that Tugger could discuss for hours) to freeze with a sudden realization.

"Oh, I'm in so much trouble! Mum's going to be furious! She's going to _kill_ me!" wailed Paige and got up her phone. She groaned loudly. "I knew it! Five missed calls. _Five_. All from her. Why do I never remember to turn this thing back on after class is over?" She looked at Tugger, apologetically. "Would you excuse me for a second?"

He made some gesture that would mean: "of course, love, take all the time you need," and she quickly dialled a number.

Someone picked up after only one signal, and a worried woman's voice said something.

"Mum?"

This one syllable set off an inconsistent stream of words from the woman, clearly Mrs. Talbot. Tugger couldn't make them out from where he was sitting, but judging by the pained expression on Paige's face, she had managed to really upset her mother. Tugger had all the pity in the world for his youngest former owner. Mrs. Talbot had made such a fuss when he'd tipped over his food bowl in protest over her feeble attempts to satisfy his ever-changing demands. She had even threatened to "throw that damn spoiled cat out" when Paige had come home from school and gone into a tizzy about her darling Tiggery.

When Paige finally had apologized several times, explained where she'd been up until now and promised to come straight home, she hung up the phone and looked at Tugger. She seemed genuinely sad.

"I have to go now," she said. "Mum's really mad."

"Oh." Tugger sighed. "That's not good. I'd better walk you home, then."

Despite her situation, Paige smiled at him. "You'd do that? Walk me home?"

"Of course!" Tugger stood up and stretched out. He had grown awfully stiff over the hours, sitting in one position. "We'll go right now."

"Oh... okay."

Paige quickly gathered her things and stood up. The pair stepped out on to the streets again, which were quickly growing darker as the sun sunk lower and lower. Tugger was careful to make it seem like Paige was leading the way, even though he could have made it to her door with his eyes blindfolded. He knew every stone in the street. This was his territory. His grounds.

There was somebody there.

He knew it before he heard the smattering of the trash can by Paige's door, and when she jumped at the sound he remained calm and looked around. He saw the black tip of a tail disappearing, and before he even knew it he had stepped up to the trash can.

"Tom, don't," Paige called out nervously. "It's probably just a cat. There are a lot of them in this area."

"I know," murmured Tugger.

His hunting instinct had kicked in, and adrenaline mixed with testosterone coursed through his body. It made him want to fight and jump and... kill. If he'd kept his tail, it would have waved lazily from side to side by now. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he tilted his head. Slowly, slowly he leaned over the trashcan, looking into it...

"Got you!"

Triumphantly, Tugger fished up Mistoffelees from the trashcan. The magician hissed warningly but didn't dare use his magic. A real human was watching.

"Don't you dare spy on me, Misto," growled Tugger in a low but menacing voice.

Mistoffelees tried to look innocent. "Who, me? I was... just out for a walk."

Tugger had to bite his lip not to cry out his disbelief loudly. "You're a bad liar. You were spying. What, you're interested in how your little science project is doing?"

"I'm just looking out for you, Tug."

"Well, excuse me, but I don't like an audience while I'm trying to ask a queen out. Girl, I mean," he corrected himself. "Ask a _girl_ out. So would you please bugger off!"

"Tom?" said Paige softly.

Tugger turned around, still holding Mistoffelees in a firm grip.

"Oh dear!" gasped Paige. "You should not be holding that!"

"It's okay, Paige. This is my cat. And he's been very naughty." He grinned widely and not unintimidatingly at Mistoffelees.

Paige looked at him oddly. "That's your cat? What's his name?"

Tugger paused to think, but not for very long. "Flee-bag."

"I _beg_ your pardon?" Mistoffelees' voice sounded shocked, outraged and insulted. It was rather amusing.

"Yes. Flee-bag," repeated Tugger. "I've had some trouble with him. A real pest magnet, he is."

"Unhand me at once, you savage!" howled Mistoffelees and tried to claw at him. "You'll be sorry when you get back to the junkyard! I'll burn your mane off, you hear me? Let go of me!"

"He doesn't seem very happy," said Paige calmly.

"True, he doesn't," agreed Tugger. "He seems to have forgotten that I am so very big and he is so very small, and that I am fully capable of wringing his little neck."

"You..." Mistoffelees silenced and became completely still in Tugger's grip.

Tugger looked satisfied. "There. Now he remembers." He put down Mistoffelees on the ground. "Run home now, Flee-bag. And don't let me catch you sneaking out like that again."

Once back on all fours, Mistoffelees bolted immediately, shouting rude words at Tugger until his voice faded away into the evening.

"Sorry about that," said Tugger. "I just worry about him when he's out on his own. He's so tiny. Miniscule, in fact. And he only seems to understand it when I threat to do things like that. Not that I ever would," he added quickly. Then he groaned. "I made a mistake there, didn't I?"

"Yeah," admitted Paige. Her eyes looked a little sad.

"I'm really very sorry. Shouldn't have threatened to hurt my cat in front of the lady."

'You stupid idiot,' he thought, mentally kicking himself. 'Bad, bad idea to say that right in front of the _cat-lover_ you're trying to impress. Idiot, idiot, idiot.'

Paige quirked a smile.

"Tell you what," said Tugger hurriedly. "Let me introduce you to Flee-bag one day. For real. Without, um, me being really stupid. And stuff. Would that be okay?"

Paige was wavering, which was a very good thing. She had blushed a bit once he'd suggested that she'd meet with "his" cat, and that was extremely promising. It showed that she would not be completely revolted by the prospect of seeing him, Tugger, again.

"Okay, then," she said, finally. "Um. When?"

"Tomorrow," replied Tugger quickly. "We can meet up some place, maybe have something to eat, and you can meet Flee-bag."

"That's really a horrid name for a cat."

Tugger smiled. "Then you can re-name him. Just say yes. Please?"

"Okay..." Paige's face was beginning to look like a beet by now. Her cheeks were practically glowing. "Um. I had a very nice time with you."

"I had a very nice time with you, too," said Tugger honestly. "I hope tomorrow will be the same."

"S-so do I. Wait a minute..." She dug around in her pocket and picket up a pen and a piece of paper, on which she scribbled some numbers. "This is to my cell phone. You can... You can call me if you want. Or, you know, if anything happens..."

Tugger took the paper and neatly folded it. He put it the pocket of his comfy trousers and grinned. "Thank you, Paige. I'll see you tomorrow."

He wasn't really sure what he was supposed to be doing now. He was quite familiar with the concept of kissing, fortunately enough, but he had a feeling that it might be taking things too far, too soon. But he wanted to make sure Paige remembered him, and that was the way to do it...

As it turned out, he didn't have to worry. Paige pulled herself together, balanced at the tip of her toes to reach, and pecked him softly at the corner of his mouth. It was over so fast he barely noticed it, and he was left blinking stupidly. Paige giggled, surprised at her own bravery.

"Bye," she whispered.

She ran up the stairs to her door, turned around to smile at him, and then she was inside, the door closed, and she was gone.


	5. Tugger's Little Helpers

**A/N:** Whoever can spot the Doctor Who quote in this chapter gets a cookie. :) This chapter is my personal favourite so far. When you've read it, you might understand why.

**Five: Tugger's Little Helpers**

Tugger walked back to the junkyard and was surprised at how small it was. It also seemed abandoned, which he found rather odd. Then he realized. They were all hiding from the intruding human. He sighed. Okay. He would have preferred it to keep his transformation a secret for as long as possible, but he had nowhere else to go, and night was awfully cold when you didn't have any fur.

"Hello?" he called out. "It's okay. It's me."

The first one to emerge was, not surprisingly, Etcetera. She had obviously recognized his voice, even though it was much louder than it usually was, and she was out of the shadows quicker than you could say "hyper fangirl." She gasped audibly when she caught sight of the strange human who smelled like Tugger but clearly wasn't. She took a cautious step towards him. He smiled and crouched to be more on her level.

"Hi Etcie, love. How are you?"

"Tuggy?" The voice was small and nervous and less loud than he was used to, but it was clearly Etcetera's.

He grinned. "Yeah."

"Wha-what have you done? Your _mane_!" She took a slow walk around him, taking in the new form. "And your fur... your ears... Your tail!" She sounded despairing. "What have you done with you _tail_!"

"It's gone. I'm human."

"You're _huge_! Are you going to be human forever?" She stared at him with large eyes.

Tugger reached out and petted her gently over the head. She butted him and started to purr almost automatically.

"Nah," he said. "Just for a little while longer."

By now more Jellicles had started to come out. In the lead of the tribe was a grey tabby who didn't seem very happy.

"Tugger," he said.

"Hiya Munks," greeted Tugger cheerfully. "Don't you think I look handsome?"

Munkustrap ignored the remark. "Let me guess," he said dryly. "You thought, 'hey, now that I've shagged every queen from here to Notting Hill, let's try a new specie!'" He glared at his younger brother. "Mistoffelees helped you do this, didn't he?"

"Yep," nodded Tugger. "And don't worry, this isn't permanent. I'll be back to my normal sexy self in no time at all." He explained in short terms about Paige.

When he was finished, he had Etcetera, Victoria, Jemima and Electra sighing dreamily by his feet.

"He's so _romantic_," murmured Electra.

Tugger flashed her a smile and started scratching her behind the ears. Her purrs could have awakened the dead.

"Rum Tum Tugger," sighed Munkustrap, "this is by far the dumbest thing you've ever done. No good can come of this." His face got something resigned over it. "But I can't very well just send you away. Creep into the car. It should be big enough for you."

Tugger smiled, truly thankful. "Thanks, bro."

"You'll be in trouble for this, you mark my words."

Munkustrap turned his back to Tugger, who suddenly became aware of how tired he was. He had hoped to be able to speak with Bombalurina, who he hadn't seen in days since he had been too busy preparing for his transformation, but she wasn't around. Either she was still sulking about him rejecting her, or she had decided to hang around with her humans for a while. It wasn't important.

Tugger crawled into the TSE 1 and tried to make himself comfortable on the half-torn out backseats. After a lot of rearranging of his limbs, he managed to fall asleep.

* * *

Tugger woke up in the crack of dawn and noticed that a tail was tickling his nose. In a confused moment he thought that he was a cat again and that that human thing had only been a dream, but then he saw that the tail in question was grey and white instead of black like his own. He was also aware that something heavy and warm was lying on top of him. When he rolled over on his back the thing yelped and fell off.

"Etcie!"

The kitten's head poked up from between the seats. She had been very abruptly awakened, and looked very confused about that.

"Sorry, babe," said Tugger apologetically. "I didn't know it was you. What are you doing in here?"

"I figured you might be cold," mumbled Etcetera. "I didn't want you to freeze."

"Thanks." Tugger shivered and hugged himself to try and keep warm. "It's a bit chilly, isn't it?"

"I can get the others for you. Warm you up," offered Etcetera.

"I... think it's better for me to try and localize some more clothes. Do you know where Jerrie and Teazer are?"

"They went out mousing. They'll be back soon."

"That's good. Okay. I need more of that money stuff. And other clothes." He sniffed himself and made a face. "And a wash. I really, really need a wash."

Before he had really thought it through, feline instinct took over and he started washing himself. He immediately realized his mistake and began spitting to get rid of the horrid taste.

"Oh, that was _vile_!" he groaned.

Etcetera giggled a little. "You're human now, Tuggy. You'll have to wash the way humans do it. In a _bath_."

Tugger's eyes widened. The mere thought of a bath made his skin crawl.

"I'd rather smell like this forever!"

"But that girl, that Paige, she might not like it if you showed up all smelly and stinky." The tortoise-shell sounded innocent enough, but her eyes were sparkling with laughter.

"But where am I supposed to get a bath anyway?" asked Tugger out loud. "It's not like I can just break in somewhere..."

"Oh, oh, I know!" giggled Etcetera delightedly. "Victoria!"

Tugger frowned. "What about her?"

"Her humans are probably getting ready for work right now! They will be leaving their home soon!"

Tugger smiled as he realized what she was saying. "Ah babe, I knew I could count on you."

Etcetera was positively beaming.

* * *

Victoria closely observed her humans as they went through all their silly morning rituals. For some reason they seemed to take much longer today, almost as if they knew what had been planned. Finally, Mrs. Jones said "goodbye Virginia" and gave Victoria a loving kiss on the head, Mr. Jones picked up the car keys, and they both left their flat. Victoria waited until she was absolutely certain they wouldn't come back (Mr. Jones often forgot things) and then she jumped up to sit on the windowsill in the living room. There she sat and waited for her friends to show up.

Down on the ground, hidden behind a very convenient bush, Etcetera squeaked excitedly, causing the rest of the group to hush at her.

"There's the signal!" she squealed. "Come on, let's go!"

"Yeah, yeah," mumbled Mungojerrie. "Don' get yer whiskers inna twist."

He was in a rather foul mood, since he had not caught anything but a fly while his sister had managed to bring down a juicy rat. She had offered to share it with him, but he had thought he'd be able to catch something even better, so he had said no. And when he had finally decided to let go of his pride and take up on her offer, the rat was already gone. So Mungojerrie was very hungry, and he always got cranky when he was hungry.

Tugger hushed at them both and nodded for the group for come with him. The other two members of Operation Bathe Tugger, Jemima and Rumpleteazer (the former had decided to come along simply to be around the ex-cat's new scratching skills) immediately jumped up, ready to obey. Electra had stayed put at the junkyard with the orders to make sure that Mistoffelees knew Tugger was looking for him. He had promised Paige a cat, and a cat she would get.

Tugger nonchalantly put his hands in his pockets and began to calmly saunter up to the door. The flat in which Victoria lived was located in the finer area of London, in a large white building with big windows and an old-fashioned doorknocker. Tugger tried to open the door, but it was locked. He groaned and looked at his feline companions.

"Now what?"

Mungojerrie stepped forward. He seemed to perk up at the prospect of breaking in somewhere. "Allow me. Ya wouldn' mind liftin' me up? It would make it quicker."

Tugger bent down and carefully scooped up the calico tom in his arms. Mungojerrie nodded towards a metal box with buttons on it that was located right next to the door, and Tugger held him towards it. The burglar sniffed on the buttons before punching in a combination. The door whirred, and something clicked.

"There," said Mungojerrie triumphantly. "All yours."

Tugger tried again, and this time the door slid open immediately. He went inside, still carrying Mungojerrie. The rest of the group followed.

"Second floor, she said," muttered Tugger. "Not so complicated."

He went up the stairs. Thankfully, Victoria sat at the top of them, waiting.

"Hello," she smiled. "Welcome. Please don't scratch the furniture."

After greeting the white kitten, she led them through the one door in the hallways which was open. Tugger close it behind them when everybody were inside the flat (Victoria could open her front door easily enough, even unlock it, but shutting it afterwards was more difficult) and found himself standing in a lit hall that smelled of strange humans and also, faintly, of flowers.

The Jones flat was much fancier than the home Tugger had known. The wooden floors shone, and every room was tastefully decorated with elegant furniture and the very classiest of designs. Victoria's basket was placed in the living room, and it had a light blue satin cushion that caused Etcetera to stare and Rumpleteazer's eyes to sparkle with want. A few toys were scattered here and there, but it seemed like they had been purposefully placed there instead of being the result of untidiness. Next to Victoria's basket stood two food bowls, both having a name engraved on them in a very posh fashion. The smell of the cat food made Tugger realize how hungry he was.

"The bathroom is this way," said Victoria and nodded for Tugger to follow her. "And the rest of you..." she looked at them as sternly as she could, "_please_ behave."

"Don' worry, li'l princess," said Rumpleteazer and smiled innocently. "Jerr an' I will make sure no one touches anythin'."

"It's mostly you two I'm concerned about," muttered Victoria.

She turned and walked down a short corridor. Tugger followed her to a glass door that led into the shiniest room he had ever seen. He made a silent vow not to show this to the burglars, for they would most certainly go on a rampage and take everything that wasn't screwed down. In fact, if he knew them correctly, they would try to steal the gilded taps and the expensive looking marble sink as well, even though they would never be able to carry them. In a small white cabinet in a corner stood rows and rows of perfumes and various crèmes, probably belonging to the female human. The bathroom also had a tub large enough for _two_ people, and it smelled of lemon detergent and some sickly sweet version of vanilla.

And there was, of course, a mirror. Tugger went up to it. He had not yet seen what he looked like as a human, and he had been very nervous when Mistoffelees had said that he looked ridiculous.

He looked good, but that was to be expected, of course. His hair was brown, with streaks of golden brown here and there, and it was as wild and untamed as his mane had been once. The transformation had not ignored his muscles, but had simply translated them into another form. His new body looked strong and healthy, very different from Paige's father, the only other male human Tugger had really watched up close before.

Tugger grinned at his reflection, and it showed a set of gleaming white teeth in return. His teeth were slightly too pointy, which worried him for a moment. He'd wanted his features to be as normal as possible (all right, his sexiness _would_ be impossible to get rid of no matter what form he had), and the grin gave him a more feral look than he found appropriate.

"New teeth," he muttered. "That's weird."

"I think you look nice," said Victoria shyly. "Your eyes are still a bit catty, though."

Tugger had almost forgotten she was there. He looked at her with a tilted head. "They do?"

He leaned forward to take a closer look in the mirror. Ah, yes. His eyes had darkened from their feline yellow to a rather nice golden brown, perhaps a shade too light for a human, but that wasn't the main issue. When he looked close enough, he could see that the pupils were still thin and oblong. They had barely changed at all.

"Just great," Tugger said out loud. "Remind me to talk to Misto about that. Now." He turned to the white kitten. "_I_ will wash up for my lady, and _you_, my little Snow White, is going to leave."

Victoria looked embarrassed. "Oh. _Oh_. Okay. I'll go. Sorry."

She hurried out of the bathroom, and Tugger closed and locked the door after her. Then he looked at the bathtub.

"All right," he said out loud. "It's you and me now."

But first, there was one thing he had to check. It had worried him just a bit, and he had planned to see how things were as soon as he was alone. Now he was alone. He stepped out of his trainers and sighed in pleasure as his feet were freed from their smelly prison, and then he methodically began to remove the other two pieces of clothing he wore. The trousers were easy, but the t-shirt was slightly difficult to get over the head. Then Tugger stood naked in front of the mirror, critically viewing his most precious body part.

Then he smiled contentedly.

It was good that some things never changed.


	6. Tom in the City

**A/N:** The correct answer to the question: "What is the Doctor Who quote?" is when Tugger said: "New teeth. That's weird" and no one got it right. Clearly, you guys need to watch more Doctor Who. ;)  
Thanks to Puredeadthingy for telling me how much a tuna wrap and a glass of milk can cost in London. .:smooch:.

**Six: Tom in the City**

Tugger found to his immense relief that the bathtub also had a showerhead. Paige had showered him once or twice, and even though he had hated it, it was a lot more bearable than having to be completely emerged in horrible, suffocating water.

He carefully turned on the water and stepped into the tub. First he felt the water with one hand, and then he stepped under the beam with a horrified shiver. To his vast surprise, it wasn't all bad. The perpetual cold he had felt ever since he transformed vanished completely, and the water gently massaged his skin, making him much more alert. He could feel the dirt from the junkyard wash away. It was actually... nice.

Tugger even took a closer look at the several plastic bottles on the shelf beside him. He sniffed at them, trying to figure out which one he should use. Finally he went with the one that smelled the nicest and squirted out almost the entire bottle in the palm of his hand.

"Oops."

Ah well. It would have to do. He washed himself as thoroughly as he could, he even put some of the white goo in his hair to get the grime out. It took him thirty minutes to finish, and then he turned off the water, stepped out of the tub, and clumsily wrapped a towel around his waist. He had seen Paige's father tie a knot to make sure the towel wouldn't fall down, but he had no idea how to do that, so he just tucked it in.

Tugger took a look at the clothes he had worn. He could hardly put them on again, then he would smell just as badly as he had done before he'd showered. He needed new clothes.

He went out to the others in the living room. There Victoria sat in the middle of the floor, keeping a close watch on Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, who were innocently walking around checking the place out. Etcetera and Jemima had found a stuffed mouse-toy, which they were loudly arguing about in a corner. All Jellicles looked up when Tugger entered.

"Victoria, my pet," he said smiling, "where can I possibly get my hands on some clothes in this house?"

"Oh. Um. Yes, I suppose you'll need that. Um. It's over there." She nodded towards a closed door. "It leads into the bedroom. I'm not supposed to be in there. You can take whatever you want, just not the blue suit, because my humans would notice if that one was gone. It's the male's favourite."

Tugger went into the room. He grabbed the first shirt out of a drawer that he could get his hands on, and a pair of trousers from a hanger in a closet. These clothes were a bit fancier than the ones he had worn the day before. The trousers were black and had buttons and a zipper, which Tugger had to experiment with quite a lot before he could manage to zip up. The shirt was simple and white. Tugger looked at his own reflection in the bedroom mirror and nodded with a smirk. He looked damn sexy, for a human.

His stomach growled angrily. He had not eaten properly since yesterday morning, and that cup of coffee he had forced himself to drink in Paige's company had hardly managed to fill him up. He needed something to eat.

Tugger sauntered out to the others again.

"Mind if I have something to eat, love?" he asked Victoria. "I'm starved."

"Um, okay, just don't take too much. I'll get in trouble if there's a lot of food missing."

Tugger went to the kitchen and amused himself with selecting something edible. He finally went with some leftover beef casserole that smelled not unlike from the food he usually got, and he sat down by the table to eat.

"Don't forget the fork, mate!" called out Mungojerrie cheerfully. "Ya'd better practice that right away!"

Eating with utensils was harder that it looked. Humans did it so easily. Tugger had to fight to even get food into his mouth, not to mention making it look as if he had done it his entire life. The table was covered in brown stains when he had finished (it was good that the Jones' hadn't had a tablecloth), but at least he was full.

"Ohhh, human food off the table..." purred Mungojerrie and jumped up to feast. "Don' mind if I do..."

Tugger chuckled. "Help yourself." He leant back in his chair with a content sigh. "This is not a bad life."

"What are you going to do now, Tuggy?" asked Etcetera, who sat wide-eyed by his feet.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Paige won't be home for a few hours. I can't call her yet."

"You could come back to the junkyard with us until then," suggested Jemima shyly.

Tugger shook his head. "Nah, that's boring. I think I'll... explore. Yeah. Go out for a walk. Check my surroundings."

He stood up, careful not to step on anyone's tail. Outside the window the sun had fully rose and it looked like it might be a warm day, but to be on the safe side Tugger took a grey jumper and tied it around his waist. He went into the bathroom to fetch the money he had left, and the piece of paper with Paige's phone number on, and put them in his trouser pocket. With a groan he forced his feet back into his old trainers, and then he took a quick look in the hallway mirror.

"Not bad, not bad..." He turned to his feline friends. "Victoria, you've been the supreme hostess." He tickled her chin affectionately. "I'll be back tonight."

He left.

* * *

Tugger had a nice time out. He went into several stores, pretending he was as human as the rest of the people in there, but he didn't dare buy anything. He had no idea how much anything cost, but he had a feeling that the coins he had left would not be enough. He also soon noticed that not all people went around with coins, but seemed to be using bits of paper instead. He made a mental note to chat with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer about them, since they seemed to be worth more than the money he already had.

He made it into a game to watch how human couples acted towards each other and tried to remember it all. Luckily he had been very interested in watching humans as a cat as well, and found their silly little games rather amusing. He followed one couple, a dark-haired young man with his arms protectively around a petite, blonde woman, trying to be inconspicuous. Thankfully the couple were too wrapped up in themselves to notice the tall man stalking them, smiling bemusedly.

The two went into a small café, and Tugger went in there with them. He was hungry anyway, and it was past lunchtime already. He looked at whatever the other customers did, and mimicked it as well he could. Since he couldn't read the signs and therefore find out what was on the menu, he listened to what the couple ordered.

"What do you want, honey?" the man asked the woman, smiling grandly. "It's on me."

"Oh, you know what I like!" twittered the woman. Her big blue eyes shone. "Just order anything!"

The man turned to the woman behind the counter and promptly ordered one chicken salad with low-fat dressing and no olives, and a tuna wrap. He also decided on something called a "cafe latte" and ice-water when he was asked what they would like to drink. He paid, and the couple went off to sit by a table to eat.

It was Tugger's turn. He smiled charmingly at the woman by the register.

"Hello, pretty one. One tuna wrap." No matter what these humans could do to tuna, he was pretty sure he'd be able to eat it anyway.

The woman coloured slightly. When Paige blushed, her entire face went red like a ripe tomato, but when this other woman did it, it was more like a sunrise. Tugger gave her an appraising once-over. She was pretty, with blonde hair and a slight spray of freckles across her nose. She looked young, older than Paige but definitely still a kitten.

"What would you like to drink?" she asked nervously.

Tugger paused. "Anything but coffee. I hate coffee. What else have you got?"

"Um. Tea, pop, water, milk, juice..."

"No cream? Sad, sad..." Tugger shook his head and sighed. "Ah well. Milk then, I suppose."

"Okay." The woman looked at him a little oddly, but didn't comment. Her cheeks were still flushed. "That will be two pounds thirty, then."

Tugger took all the money he had out of a pocket and put them on the counter with a confident grin. "I'm new in the country, love. Is this enough?"

With nimble fingers the woman selected a few of the coins, and nodded. "Sure. Wow. Your English is really good."

"Pardon?"

"Your English. Um, you said you were new in the country. But your English, well, it's really good. No accent at all."

"Thanks." Tugger grinned at her and put his change back into his pocket.

The woman seemed to gather her courage. "Hey, I get off at five, do you think we could maybe get together and, um, have a cup of coffee. Or not coffee," she added when she noticed Tugger's faint sneer of disapproval, "but, you know, something else, maybe?"

Tugger thought it over. If he had still been a tom and the woman had been a queen, there was no doubt as to what he would have answered. But things were different now. The reason he had gone through with this was for Paige, and he wasn't about to cheat on her.

"Sorry, love," he said kindly. "But I'm sort of already involved with someone."

"Oh." Her disappointment was obvious. "Okay. Um. Sorry."

"No need to apologize..."

"I... I'll get your food."

She left the counter, not looking at him. Her face was red with embarrassment. She brought him his tuna wrap and a large glass of milk, placed them on a tray and gave it to him. He thanked her warmly, she muttered something like "you're welcome," and Tugger left the counter to find a place to sit. The couple he had been following had disappeared somewhere in the crowd, but he didn't care so much about them anymore.

It was soon time to call Paige. He would need a phone. Tugger had a vague idea on how one used a phone. He had of course seen both Paige and her parents spend a considerable amount of time talking to colleagues and friends with the help of the strange mechanism, but since it had rarely concerned him, he had not paid it much attention.

While he chewed on his tuna wrap (which was good, if slightly doughy) Tugger sat and pondered where to go. He could go back to Victoria's flat and borrow her phone, of course, but that would take some time. He wanted to call as fast as possible. When he had finished his lunch, he went up to the counter and carefully asked if there was a phone anywhere that he could borrow.

"There's a pay phone right outside," said the woman without looking at him. "You can use that."

Then she went to take care of another customer. Tugger went out and localized the pay phone immediately. To be on the safe side, he dumped every last coin he had into the slot, and then he picked up the phone. He stared at the crumbled note Paige had given him. After a while he noticed that the symbols on the note were visible on the buttons by the phone as well, so he dialled the number.

To his immense relief, Paige picked up after two long signals.

"Hello?"

"Paige? Hi. It's Tom. From last night?"

"Oh! Oh hi!" Her voice sounded tinny, but he could almost hear her blush.

"How are you?"

"I'm good! I... I wasn't expecting you'd phone me."

"Why wouldn't I phone you?" asked Tugger in genuine surprise. "I had a lovely time yesterday."

"Really?" she breathed.

"Really. So my lady, when can I see you again?"

"Ah... I don't know. My... my mum wasn't very happy when I got home late last night. So I might not be able to go out."

Damn it.

"Oh, that's too bad," sighed Tugger. "Maybe tomorrow night, then? We could... maybe have a picnic?" he suggested, grabbing onto the first idea that came to his mind.

When Paige had been very small, her parents had taken her out on picnics every weekend. Tugger had not been around back then, but he had heard her tell him about those trips many times, and how sad she was that her parents never did that anymore.

"A picnic?" repeated Paige.

"Yeah. You bring sandwiches and a blanket, and I can bring something to drink and Flea-bag. We can meet up by the café we went to yesterday. What do you say?"

He knew she'd say yes before she even spoke.


	7. Invite

**Seven: Invite**

There was a picnic, like Tugger had known there would be. He got some more money out of the Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer National Bank and bought two bottles of water from the nearest Somerfield store, and then he was shown into Electra's flat to borrow her shower. Everybody agreed that Tugger should take turns in breaking into other people's homes for his "grooming," like Mistoffelees called it, to avoid being seen more than once in a house where he didn't live. He slept in the TSE 1 still, wrapped in blankets that his darling fangirls brought him from their respective homes, and covered in their furry bodies to keep warm.

The picnic was a hit, mostly because Tugger had basically begged Mistoffelees to join them. The magician had not been happy with playing the loving pet, but had surrendered when Tugger threatened him in a very friendly manner.

Paige immediately fell in love with the tuxedo cat and spent most of the date rubbing his tummy, which made Mistoffelees purr like crazy and Tugger get slightly annoyed. He didn't like not being the centre of attention, and it baffled him that anyone would possibly prefer scratching Mistoffelees behind the ears than talking to him.

The trio spent a rather lovely afternoon in Kensington Gardens. It was a warm day, which was a rare thing indeed for London, and Paige's eyes shone like the sun above. Every time Tugger smiled at her she seemed to light up from within, as if she was astonished that he even bothered to look her way. A part of him cringed when he saw that. Someone, probably Paige herself, had really messed with her head. She seemed to think that he would leave at any moment, for how could he possibly be seriously interested in a pathetic little nothing like her?

Therefore, Tugger made it into a point to constantly letting her know that he found her company enjoyable. He chuckled every time she dared to come with a joke, encouraging her to relax around him. When her hand absently stroke Mistoffelees' fur, Tugger made his own hand 'accidentally' brush against hers. That caused her to blush something fierce, but at least she didn't pull back. Tugger was always nervous she'd do that.

At the end of the afternoon he walked her back to her house, and there he tried kissing her for the first time. He had to bend down of course, since he was at least a head and a half taller than she was. Paige wasn't prepared for it, and the kiss landed rather embarrassingly on her nose. Nevertheless, it made her giggle, and that was better than her backing away.

"Can I see you again tomorrow?" he murmured.

"Yeah... If you want."

She tried to sound as if she didn't care what he did. Bless. Tugger grinned.

"I'll call you."

Paige pecked him on the cheek again, just as she had done after their first time out, and then she walked up to her door. Before she went inside she turned around and gave him a shy little wave, which he returned. Then she was gone.

"Phew," sighed Tugger.

"Ah, young love," purred Mistoffelees and chuckled by his feet. "That poor girl has got it bad." He suddenly grew serious. "You're in trouble now."

They began walking back to the junkyard.

"What do you mean?" asked Tugger. "This ends the day after the dance. I'll take her there, she'll not be alone, her friends won't make fun of her, and that will be it."

"You think you're helping her, but you're only making things worse. How do you think she'll feel when it's the day after the dance and her Prince Charming never phones her again? You are not just some fling. She's falling in love with you." The magician sighed deeply. "I knew this was a bad idea from the start."

"Aw damn it..." Tugger groaned. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because I had no idea your little Paige would get so into you! I thought she would be one of your little fangirls. I thought she wouldn't care so much. But she does care. And she will be devastated when you leave her. Don't look at me like it's my fault, Tugger," he said when he saw the ex-cat glaring at him. "This was your idea."

"You helped me do it, Misto," said Tugger sulkily.

"Yes, because I know you! I _know_ you mean to do good things, but you keep getting into trouble. You are not cruel. You never mean to break a queen's heart, it just... happens. Because you're the Rum Tum Tugger. This is what you do."

"So what are you going to do? Are you going to break the spell?"

Mistoffelees shook his head. "I cannot do that. The spell has to run its course. It will have to get weakened before I can even begin to consider breaking it. But for her sake, Tugger, I hope you get the chance to warn her before you go away. If you just saunter off like you always do, this whole thing will have been for nothing, and your Paige will be back to thinking she is ugly and that no one will ever truly care for her."

Tugger kicked at a pebble, sending it flying across the street. "I won't let that happen."

"Prove me wrong then. Don't let this one down like you did the others. Make sure she knows you won't be around forever. You could call her right now and tell her."

Tugger stopped walking and looked at the magician. Of course he could phone Paige and say it. That he was going to leave and be gone as if he never existed. It would be the right thing to do, to keep her from hoping.

But he couldn't. He had never been good at things like that. And what would be the use? He would only ruin things as they were. He still hadn't had the chance to get himself invited to the dance as Paige's partner, and that dance was the main event of this entire charade. If he couldn't make that one night a happy occasion for his weird little human, then he might as well return to the junkyard, sit in the TSE 1 and wait for the spell to wear off and turn him back into a cat.

"I will tell her," he lied. "But not yet."

"Before the dance," said Mistoffelees. "Just so that she knows what she's getting herself into."

Mistoffelees knew he was lying. Mistoffelees always knew when anyone was lying. But he didn't say anything, and the pair went back to the junkyard without saying another word to each other.

* * *

Tugger and Paige saw a lot of each other the following week. He went with her to the movie theatre, which was the first time he ever saw a film. It was some romantic story that he got sick of fairly quickly, and the popcorn that Paige had bought weren't really his kind of thing either. But he put his arm around her, and though she tensed at first she soon leaned against him with a content sigh, so he thought afterwards that perhaps the evening hadn't been a complete waste after all.

They had two more picnics, but those were both cut short due to rain, so the couple snuck into the café where Tugger had had his first cup of coffee to spend time with each other. Tugger quickly learned to ask for tea instead. Granted, the beverage did taste more like water than anything else, but it was still better than coffee.

The former Jellicle thought that he was doing a rather good job at impersonating a human. There was only one time, outside the ice-cream shop, that he came against something that might have revealed his true identity. He knew of course that his disguise fooled humans easily, but he had never thought about what would happen if a simpler creature, one that would not only count in its sight to decide what was in front of it, saw him. He got his answer when the small white terrier that stood tied to a lamppost caught sight of him.

Tugger could see the confusion in its eyes. It saw something that was human, that _had_ to be human, but smelled like a cat. The contradiction made the dog's tiny brain malfunction, and for a moment it could do nothing but stare. Then something clicked into place, and it started barking. With the fury that only very small dogs that think they are very big dogs can summon, the terrier pulled at its leash, trying to get as close to the abomination as possible, to bite, to warn, to make it go away.

Tugger took a step back and bared his teeth before he could stop himself. It was an automatic reaction to a canine threat, even if the canine in question was ridiculously small. For a split second, it felt like the dog grew until it was his own size, a growling, murderous beast that wanted him dead. Tugger felt every tiny hair at the back of his neck stand up, and he wanted to claw at the dog to show it he wasn't afraid, but before he got into a serious fight he remember his place. He remembered Paige. She stood next to him, looking at him oddly.

"Tom?" she mumbled. "What are you doing?"

Tugger took a few calming breaths. Before his eyes, the terrier seemed to shrink to the size it really was, and he was aware that he could easily kick it across the street if it should get loose and charge at him. It kept on barking and trying to get at him, but he managed to repress his urge to fight back or run away. Instead he smiled soothingly at Paige.

"Nothing. Sorry, love. I just... I don't like dogs a lot. I'm more of a cat-person, as you know."

Then she smiled back at him, and they crossed the street so that he wouldn't have to pass the still barking dog.

After having bought ice-cream somewhere else, the couple sat on a bench in the park. Paige sat comfortably in her seat while Tugger had lain down on his back with his head almost in her lap. Paige's fingers were playing lazily with his hair, and if Tugger had still been able to purr, he would have sounded like a sawmill. He was feeling completely content with the world right now. The ice-cream was sweet and cool, and the first really tasty thing he had eaten since his transformation. The sun was nice and warm, and there was a girl that petted him as if he was still a cat present. All things considered, it was a lovely day.

"Tom?" said Paige suddenly.

He opened one eye and squinted at her. She had finished her ice-cream and was throwing the cone crumbs to the gathering pigeons. "Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything, love."

She paused before speaking again. "Who are you?"

Both of Tugger's eyes shot open, and every ounce of the wonderfully lazy feeling disappeared. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." She was still stroking his hair, and it felt absolutely wonderful, but he couldn't relax anymore. "I don't know anything about you. I only know your name. I don't know what you do, where you come from. So... Who are you?"

This would be the perfect opportunity to tell her the truth, or at least as much of it as he could tell. Letting her know that he was actually her pet cat was out of the question, of course, but he should really say...

"I'm... Tom Tugger," he said slowly. "I am... 21 years old." Mungojerrie had helped him with the math. It was strange. Paige had always been the older one, and now he was. "I... come from London. I have two brothers." Tugger chose his words carefully. He could only say things that wouldn't sound strange.

"What are their names?"

"Munkustrap and Alonzo."

Paige frowned. "What strange names. I mean..." She coloured a little. "Compared to 'Tom,' they are."

Tugger shrugged. "Our parents were into weird names." He paused. "The naming of... of us is a difficult matter, it isn't just one of your holiday games."

Paige looked at him. "That sounded like a poem."

"It is. A very old one. Never mind." Tugger closed his eyes again.

Paige was quiet for a moment, and then her curiosity won over her usual way of being quiet. "What are your parents like?"

Tugger quirked a smile. "Aren't we being nosy today?"

"Sorry," she said hurriedly, afraid to upset him.

"It's okay. I can say." He thought his answer over for a short while before he said it. "My... my mother is dead. She died a long time ago."

"I'm sorry." Paige's voice suddenly sounded small and afraid.

Tugger shrugged. He still had his eyes closed. "It didn't matter to me much, to be honest. She's..."

How was he going to explain the Heaviside Layer to her? Was he even _allowed_ by feline law to do that? Maybe he would never be allowed back into the junkyard if he told her about how the star-dusty paw had descended from a darkened sky to bring his mother up to salvation and forgiveness. How blissful her face had seemed as years of pain was washed away, and how her eyes had shone when she gazed upon the faraway shores of the Heaviside.

How he had been glad to watch her go, just to be rid of her.

"She's in a better place," Tugger sighed and allowed the pigeons to have the rest of his ice-cream as well.

"What about your father?" asked Paige. "Is he..."

"Alive? Yes. I don't think he'll ever die. He's larger than life." Tugger chuckled. "It's possible that he'll survive the lot of us."

He looked up at Paige. She was smiling slightly. She looked... satisfied.

"Anything else you want to know, love?" he wondered.

She shook her head at first, and then she paused. "Maybe..."

He waited.

"No," said Paige and smiled a little embarrassingly. "No, you won't be interested. It's stupid. Forget it."

A gnawing suspicion started to grow in the back of Tugger's mind.

"My fair Paige Talbot," he purred. "There is nothing you can't ask me."

"It's just..." She took a deep breath. "There's going to be a dance at my school. It's a stupid thing really, but..."

"Is it important to you?"

Paige exhaled deeply and nodded. Her voice was barely audible when she whispered: "Yes."

Tugger sat up. He blinked a few times to make the sunspots in front of his eyes disappear, and then he turned around to look at her. Paige's cheeks had turned their usual shade of red. He could nearly hear her heart pounding. This was the moment. This was where it would either continue or fall apart.

"Then I'll go with you. If it's important to you, I'll go with you. I'll be your date. If you want me to."

For a second it looked like she was going to cry. Then slowly, her entire face lit up, and her eyes sparkled like diamonds. She looked... happy. It hit him that he had never seen her look like that before, not ever. Before he knew it, she was in his arms, pressing her cheek against his chest. Her embrace was not as tight as it usually was when he had been a cat to hug in comfort, and it was altogether more pleasant.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He couldn't tell her now. Not when she was so happy. He could not shatter the dream of the perfect night. Damn it, he was going to _make_ it perfect! Mistoffelees was really going to hate this.

Delicately Tugger put his hand underneath Paige's chin and raised her head so that she was looking directly at him.

"You're welcome."

Then he bent down and kissed her gingerly on the lips.


	8. Before the Ball

**Eight: Before the Ball**

"I have a problem."

Mistoffelees looked up. "How come I'm not surprised? Have you told her yet?"

Tugger sat down heavily on the tire next to the magician. "No, not yet. I don't even know how to begin."

"You've never had any problem with walking away before. Just tell her that you've got a job somewhere, and that you can't stay just for her."

"I can't?" Tugger looked up.

"Now you're being a bigger idiot than usual." Mistoffelees rolled his eyes. "Of course you can't. You are not a human; you are just playing one for a while. You are a Jellicle."

"I know that!"

"Then what's the problem?"

Tugger sighed. "I'm going with Paige to the dance."

"I thought that was what you wanted."

"You don't get it. She expects me to take her there."

"Yeees..?"

"In a car."

Mistoffelees couldn't help but chuckle. "Ah. A little too much to ask of someone who has only been human for a week, eh?"

"Yes," muttered Tugger miserably. "And even if I could learn how to drive, which I can't, where would we find one? A car is not like spare change. If Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer could manage to steal one, the humans would notice it, and there would be consequences."

"That's very insightful of you, Tug. As far as I've known you, you haven't cared much for consequences at all."

"Maybe being human for a while has done me good." The former cat grinned a little. Then he remembered his troubles and sighed again. "You got a plan?"

"For the car?" Mistoffelees pondered this. "No, not yet. Well, there is one thing... But it would... No, it could work. But then I'd have to take some of the transformation spell from you and bring it over to something else."

"Like what?"

The magician's face split into a sudden, inspired grin. "Well... We've got a car."

He nodded towards the TSE 1. Tugger looked at it. The car was so covered in rust he could hardly see its original colour. The seats were torn, the engine was gone, it smelled like something had died in it and the hubcaps had been stolen a long time ago. In short, the TSE 1 was not in condition to be on the streets. It could only barely be called a car at all.

"I love a challenge," purred Mistoffelees. "I've got just the thing. You just worry about your Paige, Prince Charming. When is the dance, again?"

"Tomorrow night."

"Perfect. Okay. I want you back here again at the very latest one hour before you have to go and pick her up. What do you think about making it a red one?" He squinted at the TSE 1. Little sparks were dancing like stars in his black fur. "Or perhaps black. I think black is more you, come to think of it." He looked at Tugger and nodded. "Oh yes. Definitely black. Now scoot. I need to prepare, and you need to find something suitable to wear. Scoot!"

The magician butted Tugger to make him move, and the man stood up.

"Fine, fine, I'm going... One hour, you said?"

"One hour. I think I can make the necessary adjustments in that time."

"Okay. See you then."

Mistoffelees was barely paying attention anymore. He was inspecting the TSE 1 out of every angle, laughing silently to himself as he did. Tugger shrugged. He was already getting bored, so he might as well take a walk. It was a Thursday night. Paige had told him earlier that if she wanted to get permission to go to the dance at all, she must spend some quality time at home tonight, and thus she couldn't see him. It annoyed him a little bit more than he wanted to admit.

He toyed with the idea of going to Bombalurina's house and wait for her to come out. He had only seed the red queen once or twice during the last few days. She seemed to be deeply insulted about something. Maybe she felt that he was somehow cheating on her with Paige, and perhaps that was why she kept out of his way. He would have to grovel before her when he was back to normal, but she would take him back. Bombalurina always took him back.

Nah. Better to let her seethe by her lonesome before she realized how much she wanted him. Tugger kind of missed the way their relationship worked. They both drove each other crazy with mind games and manipulations, but it worked, somehow. They both knew that.

'Maybe I should ask her to be my mate,' Tugger thought as he wandered down a nameless street. 'It's what she wants. And it should be about time.'

The odd couple, that searched for love everywhere. When they had not found it straight away they had both settled for the next best thing with each other, and something had started to grow. An affection, perhaps. Maybe it was love. He didn't know. Whatever it was, perhaps it was time to make it official.

Tugger stared at the pavement as he walked, and to his surprise he found that he recognized the crack in the asphalt. He stopped abruptly and looked up. He knew this street better than any place in the world. It was such a peaceful place. Friendly neighbours. Very few dogs. And in one of the houses, the one with the cat-door in the upper window, lived a girl who's life he'd changed. She was probably sitting with her parents now, watching TV. Maybe she wondered where her cat had run off to. Knowing Paige, she would be a nervous wreck, though she had never shown him that on any of their dates. He had noticed, though, how she kept looking around hopefully as soon as a cat meowed, and how she frowned and looked worried when it turned out to be a stray.

Tugger found that he was staring at her window, and he hurriedly tore his eyes off it. What if anyone should see him standing here? They'd think he was some kind of pervert. But he couldn't walk away.

"Damn it," he mumbled.

* * *

The next day arrived. Tugger began preparing from the moment he got up. He was not feeling well. Mistoffelees had not permitted him to sleep in the TSE 1 as usual out of fear that he would mess up the spell, so Tugger had made himself as comfortable as he could in a pile of old cardboard boxes. When he woke up he was hurting all over, and not even the purred "good mornings" of his fangirls could lighten his mood. He was also feeling a very disturbing knot of nervousness in the pit of his stomach, which was not something he was used to.

He used Jemima's flat for a shower (breaking into other people's homes was basically routine by now) and stole a pair of black jeans and jacket, a white shirt, and a pair of dark shoes that looked much fancier than the old trainers.

As the day progressed the knot grew into a lump, and he was almost physically nauseous. He paced the junkyard again and again, waiting for and dreading the moment that must come.

The area around the TSE 1 was strangely... blurred. It was like watching the car from very far away and through a dirty window. When you relaxed your eyes you could see small things like taillights or a reflex in a shining surface, but whenever you tried to focus on it, it was gone. Mistoffelees like privacy when he worked.

Tugger had nothing to do. Whenever he tried to sit down and relax he immediately jumped up again so that he wouldn't ruin his jeans. Then he paced for a while, tried a few dance steps to calm his nerves, and tried to practice on how he was going to tell Paige. On the top of the old washing machine sat Victoria, Jemima, Electra, Etcetera, Pouncival and Tumblebrutus, watching him with a mixture of bemusement and awe.

"Um, I have really enjoyed my time with you, Paige," Tugger muttered to himself. "It's been a real honour... Can I say that? Sounds ridiculous. Okay." He stopped and took a deep breath. "Unfortunately I've gotten a job... A very important job in... Barcelona. That's really far away. And, and it's been fun, but this... I'm sorry."

"You could try 'it's not you, it's me'," suggested Pouncival helpfully. "My human always says that on the phone whenever he's breaking up with someone. He does that a lot."

"Thanks, pipsqueak, but I prefer to do this by myself." With a sigh Tugger sat down, and jumped up when reminded of the filth at the junkyard. He continued pacing. "Dear Paige. I really wish I didn't have to go, but... I'm sorry, but..." Tugger groaned. "I can't do this. She'll hate me."

"She'll hate you even more if you just disappear," Mistoffelees piped up suddenly. He looked tired, but was grinning broadly.

Tugger immediately turned all his attention to the magician. "Did you do it?"

Mistoffelees nodded. "All it needs now is a little bit of the spell on you."

"Okay. How does that work?"

"Well." Mistoffelees jumped over and landed perfectly on the front of the still blurry TSE 1. "So far the spell is just a glamour, to make the car look as good as I think it does. To make sure that it will also _work_, I'll have to take some of the transformation spell off you and transfer it to the car. Just a little bit. Won't take long."

"I see. And how, exactly, am I supposed to drive that car? You're not saying I'll improvise it?"

"Tugger, the day I'm letting you out in traffic will be the same day that a Pollicle gets a clever thought in his head." Mistoffelees snorted. "Don't worry. It's part of the glamour. It will seem like you're doing the driving, but the car will get the proper coordinates and take you and your lady there, no problem. And if we can get this over and done with soon, I would be extremely grateful."

"Fine. Work your magic."

"Thank you."

It only took a moment or two for Mistoffelees to transfer the spell. He sat on top of the washing machine so that he was facing Tugger, who bent down so that the magician could reach. Then Mistoffelees held out his paws and allowed them to rest on Tugger's face. The paws were so small and soft that Tugger barely noticed them on his skin. He became aware of a humming in the air, and then that Mistoffelees breathed on him. Tugger felt dizzy for a second, and he grabbed for the washing machine to steady himself. When his head cleared the transfer had already been made, and in the place of the old, rusty TSE 1 there stood a fully equipped black car that shone dully in the light of the streetlamps.

"I say, my friend, you've truly outdid yourself," said Tugger and stroke Mistoffelees over the head.

The magician couldn't help but purr. "Flatterer. Now get inside."

Almost reverently, Tugger opened the door to the car and sat down in the driver seat. The smell of mould had been wished away, thankfully, and instead there was a fresh scent of pinewood and leather inside the car. In the ignition sat a key, which shimmered like gold. A key-ring in the form of a cat silhouette in black leather dangled from it, a very nice touch.

"Turning that key makes the car start," Mistoffelees informed him from outside the window. "That's basically all you need to know." He regarded Tugger with amusement. "Here goes, Tug. The final test. Dance like a human."

Immediately the lump in the pit of Tugger's stomach returned, and he grimaced. "Thanks for calming me down, Misto."

"I think it's endearing to see you so frazzled. Very sweet."

"I'm not frazzled, I'm just nervous."

"Still, it's charming."

"Remember, I can still wring your neck." Tugger's grin faded, and he looked serious. "Thanks for this, though. I owe you one."

Mistoffeles looked insulted. "Oh, you owe me more than one for this! That's at least a dozen you owe me. But you're welcome."

The two nodded at each other. Tugger looked at the key, and then he slowly turned it. The engine, which had not been there that morning, roared to life. The car trembled, as if it felt it had been forced to stand still for so long and now couldn't wait to get out onto the open road again. Tugger smiled.

"Tell it where to go, and it'll take you there," Mistoffelees called out. "And you behave! And don't forget to tell her!"

Tugger closed the door, and Mistoffelees' voice became muffled by the humming of the car. Still, as he let the car roll away from the junkyard and out on the street, he could clearly hear the magician calling out: "_And I want you home by midnight!_"

* * *

Tugger arrived to Paige's house early, which he hadn't planned on, but since he couldn't well hang around in the car he decided to go up and ring the doorbell. He heard steps from inside, a horrified squeak, some mumbling words, and then the door opened. In the opening stood a woman in her late thirties, with Paige's brown hair and eyes, and looked at him with some surprise.

"Um, hi," said Tugger politely. "I'm here to pick up Paige."

The woman broke into a smile. "You are this Tom Tugger we've been hearing so much about, then? Come on in!" She stepped aside, allowing him to pass. "Paige is still getting ready. You're early."

Tugger went inside, and the door closed behind him. Paige's mother was still smiling, and he saw where Paige had inherited her way of making the sun shine through her eyes. Tugger had never seen Mrs Talbot smile at him like that before. She had usually just been annoyed with him and shouted at him. Now she was polite and kind, and he found that he actually liked her. Perhaps it was because she smiled like Paige.

The flat seemed very small now that he was so big. When you were so close to the floor, you didn't see the things on the tables. When Tugger looked around now, he saw pictures everywhere. Photographs of Paige when she was little, pictures of her with her cousins, with her parents, and also a framed version of the one with himself on her lap, that Paige kept in her backpack. A corner of Tugger's mouth turned up when he saw that.

In a large armchair in the living room sat Paige's father. He did not look too happy about seeing Tugger in his house, but still Mrs Talbot insisted he'd sit down with him while she went to check on Paige. When she left the two, it got awkwardly quiet. Mr Talbot looked suspiciously at Tugger, who didn't know exactly what to say.

"I assume you know that Paige is very important to me," said Mr Talbot finally. He sounded very grim.

"Of course," answered Tugger honestly.

It was strange... Mr Talbot had been a figure of ridicule more than anything when Tugger'd been a cat. He was short and thin, with poor upper body strength and no muscles to speak of. Tugger had never even considered ever being nervous around him, since he obviously was so much stronger than Paige's father and could easily defeat him with one hand behind his back. However, now Mr Talbot had something fierce in his eyes, a determination that frankly did the former cat a little nervous.

"Also I assume that you know she is only fifteen years old," continued Mr Talbot, looking Tugger sternly in the eyes.

"Yes... sir." Tugger had no idea what came over him. He had not called anyone "sir" for a very long time, and then it had been Bustopher Jones, who was a far more impressive character than this wrecked specimen.

"I hope I can trust you when you tell me that you won't try anything... stupid with her."

"I... I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't be stupid, Mr Tugger. You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. You are older than Paige and I assume more... experienced. I'm letting you know now that I have connections with the police, and if she comes home and even breathes a word about you being anything but a gentleman, I'll have you locked up before you can say 'oops.' Are we on the same page, Mr Tugger?"

Tugger put all his sincerity in his following sentence. "Mr Talbot, I have nothing but the highest opinion of your daughter. You have my word that nothing will happen to her."

"I am very pleased to hear that." Mr Talbot leaned back into his chair.

"I hope you're being good to the poor boy, dear," said Mrs Talbot as she walked down the stairs. "Tom, would you like something to drink?"

"Um, oh, no, thank you."

Tugger wanted to get out of there. He didn't like sitting next to Mr Talbot, who looked like he wanted to murder him and leave his mangled corpse by the road for stray Pollicles so eat, and there was a spring in the couch that was poking him in the back. He was seriously considering fleeing out to the car to wait instead, when something happened.

A door opened, and Paige walked downstairs.


	9. Some Enchanted Evening

**A/N:** Terribly sorry for the delay in chapters, but I conveniently enough managed to get another story deleted, and was suspended from updating for a week. Anyway, I'm back now, as you can see. And Storm Front, I _am_ working on a sequel to Anything Fiercer and The Glare of His Eyes. I'm having problems with the plot, however, and it will take a while before I post any of it. Oh, and to my knowledge, Pounce and Misto don't have anything going on. But what do I know, I'm just the writer...

Disclaimer: Still don't own CATS. I also don't own the song being described in the end of the chapter. Cookie points to you if you know who does.

**Nine: Some Enchanted Evening**

She wore a white dress that must be new, since Tugger had never seen it before. Her hair was being kept from her face with a white ribbon, pearl earrings adorned her ears, and she had a thin silver chain around her neck. She also had dainty white shoes on, and she was smiling brightly at him.

"Hi," she said shyly.

Tugger felt a strange sensation of pride fill his chest. This was his date for the dance. She looked nice, and now everyone would see that. This would be an enchanted evening, in more than the glaringly obvious way.

"Hi," he said. "You look lovely."

"Really?"

"Really. White's your colour."

"Thank you." Paige paused for a moment. "You look really nice too."

Well duh. Of course he did. Tugger smiled and thanked her anyway, and then he offered her his arm.

"Shall we?"

She accepted it, grinning. "Okay."

"Wait!" Mrs Talbot cried out and ran up to stand in front of the door, to stop them from leaving. "First we must take your picture! Such a cute couple!"

"Muuum!" said Paige impatiently and a little embarrassed. "We should really be going."

"You'll thank me for this later, sweetheart."

Mrs Talbot raised the camera, and Paige resigned. Tugger put his arm around her and the couple smiled broadly into the lens. FLASH.

"There," said Paige's mother contentedly and patted the camera. "Have fun."

"Thanks mum! Bye!" Paige poked her head into the living room. "Bye dad!"

Mr Talbot grumbled something. Paige rolled her eyes and returned to Tugger's side.

"It was very nice meeting you, Mr Tugger," said Mrs Talbot and smiled at him.

"You too, ma'am," he replied politely.

Then Paige dragged him outside, and the door slammed shut behind them. Tugger lead her to the car, which she 'oooh'ed and 'aaah'ed over, and they sat down inside it. Tugger nervously placed his hands on the steering wheel, and murmured the name of Paige's school. The car started up immediately and merrily rolled on. Tugger tried to concentrate on pretending like he was driving, but Paige didn't seem to focus much on how he handled the car at all. He was thankful for that. If she had shown any interest in anything but the dance, she might have noticed that Tugger was just turning the wheel at random when he thought saw fit.

They didn't speak much at first. Paige was fiddling with her necklace and looking out the window, clearly thinking about what would happen tonight. Tugger dared to take his eyes off the road for a moment to look at her.

"You okay, love?"

She jumped and looked up. "Oh. Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little nervous."

"What'd you got to be nervous about? If anyone should be nervous, it's me."

Paige looked surprised. "Why's that?"

"Because you look so wonderful tonight, some guy might try and steal you away from me."

Paige giggled, and Tugger smiled. Mission accomplished.

"There's my girl," he said. "Cheer up now. It'll be fine."

They pulled up outside a large grey building, and there, the car abruptly stopped. Paige looked a little confused.

"Tom, you can't stay here. You have to find a parking space."

"Parking space?" Tugger frowned. Then realization dawned. "Oh right! A parking space! Um. Yeah. Tell you what, you go ahead and wait for me while I find that, and I'll catch up."

Paige seemed hesitant. She turned her head to look at the door to the school. They were open, and in front of them stood a group of girls Paige's age, laughing and talking to each other. Behind them, there was definitely a party going on. The sounds of it leaked out into the street, and they could both hear it. Paige looked at Tugger.

"Okay. I'll wait for you inside."

"Won't be a minute, love."

Paige stepped out of the car, closed the door, and carefully made her way towards the group of girls. Tugger turned his attention to the car and tried starting the engine again.

"Come on, my pretty," he murmured softly to the steering wheel. "Find me a parking space. Um. A close one. Please."

The car started hesitantly, as if it wasn't completely certain what its master wanted from it, but it left the street right in front of the school and drove into a nearby alley. There it stopped. Tugger nodded, pleased, and petted the dashboard.

"_Good_ car."

He pocketed the keys, went outside and walked back to the school to meet up with Paige. He could see her talking to the girls outside the school, and that made him frown. The girls had looks of distain on their faces, and Paige was suddenly looking like she'd walked right into a lion's den. Her eyes darted back and forward, desperately seeking help. Tugger walked faster. He could hear the girls speaking now.

"So you dared to show up alone then, Talbot?" sneered one of them, and from her body language Tugger could see that she was the undisputed leader. "That's really pathetic, to come to a dance alone."

"Really pathetic," echoed another girl.

Paige mumbled something that Tugger couldn't hear, but he was proud to notice that there was something defiant in her voice.

The leader, on the other hand, was not impressed. "Yeah, right... And where is this guy, if you don't mind me..."

"Excuse me."

Paige sighed with relief as Tugger came up to her and placed a kiss on her forehead. He smiled apologetically, not caring about the girls who were all standing there staring at him with their mouths open.

"I hope I wasn't gone too long."

She shook her head. "Just a few minutes."

"Good." He kissed her again. "Want to go inside?"

Paige peeked at the girls and grinned. "Yeah."

Tugger turned around, pretending that he had not noticed them until now. "Oh I'm sorry, how rude of me! I'm Tom Tugger. I'm Paige's date for the evening."

"I..." said the leader, staring unashamedly.

Tugger looked at Paige. "Not very talkative, is she?"

"She usually is," said Paige. Her mirth was clearly showing in her eyes, and her hand thankfully caressed Tugger's. He took her by the hand and squeezed it gently.

"Wonder why she's suddenly struck dumb, then." Tugger shrugged. "Ah well. A pleasure to meet you, ladies." He looked at his date, paying the girls no more heed. "Shall we, Paige?"

"Absolutely."

He offered her his arm once more, and together they went into the building. The dance was being held in the school cafeteria, which had been decorated with streamers in all colours of the rainbow. In the ceiling hanged a large mirrored ball that cast its reflections on the walls and floor, highly appealing to the cat that Tugger had been once. He suppressed an urge to swat at the reflections and continued taking in the room. It was pretty dark, and only a few coloured lights had been put up to provide illumination on the dance floor. By one side of the room stood a table with two bowls of liquid, one red and one yellow, and a number of plastic cups. Around it stood several teenage boys, awkwardly lumped together since no one dared to dance yet.

The girls stood together at the other side of the room, casting long, nervous glances at the boys and hastily looking the other way when the object of their affection saw them.

'Ah, behold the humans courting,' thought Tugger and shook his head in bemusement. 'So much easier with cats. At this rate, no one will ever get on that dance floor.'

He held out a hand to Paige. "So, what do you want to do first? Dance?"

The music was loud, but not so loud that they had to shout to hear each other. It was a heavy drum beat that was so completely different to Jellicle tunes that Tugger felt a little bit uncomfortable, but he wasn't about to let her know that. To his immense relief, though, Paige shook her head.

"I thought maybe we could have some punch before we dance?" she suggested.

"Fine by me."

He followed her to the table, where she picked the yellow liquid and handed him a cup with the red. Tugger tasted it gingerly. It was very sweet, with an intense flavour that reminded him a bit of a perfume Paige had worn once. The perfume had been much too strong for her, and she had only worn it once, but Tugger remembered.

"Not bad," he shrugged.

She relaxed a little. "We can dance now, if you want."

Before Tugger could reply, a girl came over to them. She had brown hair and freckles all over her nose, and her dress was, as far as Tugger could tell in the poor light, as red as the drink in his glass. She was also smiling.

"Hi Paige," she said cheerfully.

Paige looked surprised, but smiled back. "Anne, hi! I didn't think you'd show up tonight."

"Yeah, I wasn't, but then my mum felt that I was being antisocial and she got all worried and started going on and on about the importance of contact and stuff like that..." The girl, Anne, waved a hand around in the air and shrugged. "So I went, just to get her off my back." She suddenly noticed Tugger, and her eyes widened just a bit. "Oh. Hi. I don't think we've met."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Paige rolled her eyes at herself. "Anne, this is Tom Tugger. My date." She said the last part with a certain amount of delight, and then she turned to Tugger. "Tom, this is Anne Powell. She's in my English class."

Tugger shook Anne's outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you, Anne."

"L-likewise. Wow. Um. So, how did you two meet?"

"I walked into her and spilled her stuff on the street about a week ago," said Tugger honestly. "And then we went for coffee."

"Which he hated," put in Paige with a sly grin at her date. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you always order tea nowadays."

Anne frowned at Tugger. "You've never had coffee before that? That's, that's a little weird."

"Well, I am a little weird." He shrugged disarmingly and took Paige's hand again. "She likes me anyway. Isn't that right, love?"

"Mmm," sighed Paige dreamily and leaned against him slightly.

Tugger smiled at first, and then with a bang he remembered what he must do. Break her heart. He felt it like a cold chill down his spine as realization hit, and tried to shrug it off.

'Not yet,' he thought. 'Wait until the end of the evening. Don't spoil this night.'

He smiled at Anne. "I hope you don't mind, but Paige promised me a dance, and I'm going to hold it to her."

A few couples had managed to sneak up to the dance floor by now, and were slowly dancing to the soft voices of a man and a woman proclaiming their everlasting love to each other. It seemed fairly uncomplicated, thought Tugger. Just basically hugging and rocking in sync with the music. He was thankful for the slow dance, since he had a feeling it was different when the music was upbeat.

Paige excused herself to Anne, who watched them go while sipping on her punch. The couple made their way to the centre of the dance floor. Since Tugger was so much taller than she was, Paige had to stand on her tiptoes to reach and put her arms around his neck like the other couples did, but it worked better when Tugger crouched down a bit. They began dancing, slowly. Paige was smiling a little shyly, and her cheeks were flushed as per usual, but she didn't avert her eyes. She kept looking at him like he was the grandest thing in the world. Usually Tugger would have welcomed that, but now he only felt like a prick.

While the man and the woman in the song sang that they wouldn't need dreams anymore after this, and that love goes on and on, Tugger and Paige danced like it was the last night of the world.


	10. One Last Dance

**A/N:** To make up for the delay: an extra long chapter!

**Ten: One Last Dance**

A few hours passed. Tugger and Paige danced and spoke and danced yet again, and she began resting her cheek against his chest as they did. He invited Anne to dance once, which made the freckled girl grin insanely and accept with a long, triumphant look at the group of girls that had teased Paige before. Dancing with Anne was miles away from dancing with Paige, and the music was now loud and intense. Tugger had no idea what to do, but he watched what they other couples did and mixed a few Jellicle steps into it, twirling and spinning Anne around until she got dizzy and had to sit down for a moment.

Coming to the dance with him had obviously improved Paige's social status. A lot of people came up to talk with her, to ask about her mysterious date, and wonder, as a side note, if he had a single brother. A few of the more courageous ones even dared to get close to Tugger himself and pretend that they were totally cool talking to him and that this sort of thing happened every day. Some guy with glasses and red hair tried to strike up a conversation about Manchester United, which was of course totally lost on Tugger. He politely got out of the talk and went to find Paige.

She stood discussing something with Anne and a couple of other girls, and from their awed looks it was quite probably that she was telling the story of how she met Tugger. She looked... happy, like she enjoyed being the centre of attention for once. Tugger didn't want to disturb her, so he strolled over to the table to fetch some more red punch. He sat down on one of the plastic chairs by the wall, nonchalantly sipping his drink and watching the dancing couples.

"You shouldn't be drinking that," said a voice suddenly, and Tugger turned his head.

The one who had spoken was a boy. He had brown hair and was wearing a jacket similar to Tugger's own. He nodded towards the cup the man was holding.

"Why not?" asked Tugger.

"Someone's spiked the red punch. I saw them do it. The yellow should be safe, though, unless you want to get really drunk."

"Drunk..."

Mr Talbot had been drunk once, after a late night out with his friends at the office he worked in. He had stumbled in in the middle of the night, almost tripped over Tugger and finally fallen asleep on the couch, where Mrs Talbot had found him the next morning. She had not been pleased. Mr Talbot had been really sick the next day. Why any human would want to do that to themselves was beyond Tugger, so he put his drink aside.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Can I sit there?"

The boy gestured towards the empty chair next to him.

Tugger shrugged. "Be my guest."

The boy sat down. "I'm Andy, by the way."

"Tom," said Tugger and frowned as he remembered something. "Andy... You wouldn't be the same Andy who took Lucy Briggs to the dance, would you?"

Andy looked surprised. "How did you know that?"

Tugger smirked. "I have my sources."

Andy... A couple of years her senior, he was the boy Paige had had a crush on before Tom Tugger came along. The one she had been crying so hard about that day that seemed such a long time ago, when Tugger had decided to help her out and become human. She had told her cat many things about this fine young man. How he sometimes smiled at her in the lunch-queue, and how he had spoken to her more than once. One time he had asked if she could borrow him a pencil. He had given it back to her again at the end of the day, specifically looked her up to say thank you, Tugger remembered.

"Oh," said Andy and paused. "Well, yeah... That's Lucy, over there."

He pointed at a blonde girl in the group gathered around Paige.

"She seems nice," said Tugger without really looking at her.

"I guess. She's the daughter of a friend of my mum's, so mum wanted me to go with her."

Tugger raised his eyebrows. This was very interesting news.

"Really? So she's not the one you would have liked to go with?"

"I don't know." Andy shrugged. "I mean, she's nice and all. I guess it could have been worse. We've known each other since we were kids. But I'm not, like, into her or anything..."

The girls broke out into a fit of giggles, and a couple of them threw glances Tugger's way. He waved at them, which caused them to blush and giggle even more. Andy looked at him with some admiration.

"How do you do that?" he asked. "I mean, how can you act so cool and make them like you?"

"Well, it helps being dashingly handsome," said Tugger with a sly grin. "But mostly it's just about complimenting them, talking to them about stuff they like, and paying for things when you go out."

"How do you know what they like before you talk to them?"

"You figure it out as you go along. Try a few different topics first and see what works the best."

"What did you talk to Paige about before she went out with you?"

It was a completely innocent question and he had almost expected it, but still it made Tugger a little surprised. He had not pegged Andy for being so straightforward.

"Cats," he said after a moment of pretending to think. "Paige really likes cats."

"Cats..."

Andy looked like he made a mental note of it, and Tugger rolled his eyes. This boy was as transparent as a glass figurine. One would have imagined someone asking you for tips on how to talk to your girlfriend would have been a little more subtle about it.

There was a sudden commotion in the far corner of the room, and both Tugger and Andy looked up. A crowd had gathered in a circle around something, but the music was too loud for them to understand what was going on. Tugger frowned, stood up from his chair and strode over to the crowd. He heard sounds of struggle, a girl pleading, and a few voices cheering.

'Because it's just not a party without a fight,' he thought grimly. '_Humans_.'

It wasn't much of a fight, really. Two boys were crawling in a pile on the floor, both trying to inflict as much injury as possible to the other without caring much how. There were punches, certainly, but scratches, biting, and pulling of hair were even more common. Next to the fighters, careful not to get too close, stood a very pretty young girl who tried to convince one of them to "let it go." The rest of the crowd looked at the three with a mixture between nervousness that they all would be in trouble for this and excitement about something interesting happening.

When Tugger approached, they parted to leave way for him, like the Red Sea before Moses. A few of them hurried to get a safe distance between themselves and him. It was not because he was six feet tall and could lift both fighters with one hand if he wanted to, but because he was an adult. For all they knew, he would tell their parents.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

The man quickly separated the fighters. One of them was bleeding from a busted lip, while the other one sported a glorious black eye. When Tugger let go of them, they glared at each other with venom and tried to get back into the match, but the ex-cat got between them.

"Okay, kiddies, what's with the ruining of the party?"

'My goodness, I've become Munkustrap,' Tugger thought with an inwardly groan. 'I'll be telling them to act like responsible adults next.'

"Why should we tell you?" muttered the black eye moodily.

His voice was slurring. Someone had clearly been drinking of the red punch. Tugger crossed his arms across his chest and tried to mimic Munkustrap's patented Glare of Disapproval.

"Because you're destroying it for the rest of us," he said calmly. "I think you both need to calm down a little. Perhaps go out and get some fresh air. Come on, out with you."

The pretty girl, who had been begging them to stop fighting, went up to the black eye and looked at him pleadingly.

"Yes, please, Alan," she mumbled. "Just... just go outside and chill, okay?"

The boy looked at her for a moment, and then he tried to focus on Tugger. He frowned a little.

"I do­I don't have to do nothing you say," he murmured. "You... you're just..."

He interrupted himself and seemed to forget what he was about so say. Then he squinted at Tugger, trying to stand up straight.

"Your eyes look weird."

Alan said it in such a low voice that Tugger was the only one who could make something out of his slurs, and what he heard made him slightly nervous. He had forgotten to talk to Mistoffelees about his strange, non-human eyes. Would this be a problem now? It didn't seem like it. Alan was too incoherent for people to care much about what he said. Still, better to be on the safe side.

"Okay, here we go, Alan," said Tugger and easily hoisted up the boy on his shoulders. "You're going to sober up a bit. Cold water might just do the trick. And don't think I've forgotten about you, pipsqueak." He looked sternly at the other fighter, who had tried to join his friends and leave the scene as quickly as possible. "You seem uninebriated enough to walk yourself. Come along."

The boy with the busted lip had apparently not had as much to drink as his comrade, and was definitely not brave enough to stand up to the man. When Tugger left, Alan slung over his shoulder, the boy followed him, looking embarrassedly at the floor. The girl also ran after them, maybe to keep watch so that Alan wouldn't do anything stupid.

Tugger led them outside, where the air was cool and refreshing. It seemed to penetrate Alan's befuddled mind as well, and he was starting to look exceedingly green in the face. Tugger allowed him to sit down on a bench outside the school, and the girl sat down next to Alan, stroking his forehead and mumbling soothing words into his ear. The other boy sat down on the neighbouring bench, sullenly touching his swollen lip and throwing angry glares at the pair next to him.

"You could tell me what this is about, or you can leave it be," said Tugger calmly.

"They were just being stupid, sir," said the girl and looked at Alan fondly. "They won't be stupid anymore. Really. I promise."

Tugger looked at her. "What's your name?"

"Sophie, sir."

"Don't 'sir' me, Sophie. I'm Tom." He let his look wander from one former fighter to the other. "You sure they won't go at it again?"

"I don't think Alan is feeling very well."

That was true. As a matter of fact, Alan looked like he was going to be sick. It was not really unexpected, considering. He was sweating and staring intently at the ground in front of him, barely noticing that Sophie was next to him.

"And the other one?"

"Hey!" said the second boy. "I can talk for myself, thanks."

"Pardon. Who are you, then?"

"I'm Jack."

"Nice to meet you, Jack. Now, will you be making any more trouble?"

Jack seemed unwilling to answer, but when he saw Tugger's look on him, he relented and sighed. "Fine, I won't. For now."

"All I wanted to hear, mate. Now go and clear up that lip of yours. Shoo."

Tugger waved his hands at him, and Jack grudgingly disappeared back in to find a bathroom.

"You can go back in now," said Sophie. "I'll take it from here. Thanks for breaking them up."

She smiled brightly at him, and Tugger grinned back.

"My pleasure, Sophie."

He turned and went inside, figuring he should find Paige.

As soon as he entered the dance room, he spotted her. She was talking to Andy, and apparently she was enjoying it. She was smiling at him like she used to smile at Tugger. Her cheeks were a little flushed, and her eyes shone, and she was telling him something that caused her hands to gesture wildly and eagerly. Andy seemed interested. He was smiling too.

Before Tugger really knew what he was doing, he strode up to Paige. She noticed him right away, excused herself to Andy, who to Tugger's secret delight looked a bit crestfallen when she left his side. Paige walked up to her date and smiled warmly.

"Where were you?" she asked curiously.

"Someone had a bit too much to drink." Tugger shrugged. "No big thing." Then he gently caressed her cheek and smiled in the way that made her blush. "I saw you talking to Andy."

"Yeah... He's nice. Did you know he's got a cat?" Paige giggled a little. "I had no idea."

Tugger felt a sudden surge of severe dislike towards this Andy, and Paige must have seen how his face darkened, for she immediately turned serious.

"But that's nothing," she hurried to say. "Nothing at all. I'm here with you."

"Yes. You are." Tugger took a deep breath. "I... I have to talk to you about something."

"Can we dance first? I love this song."

Tugger listened to the music. It was another slow dance, one of the at least a dozen others they had danced to that evening. It was growing late. Did he have time for one more dance before he would have to leave?

Yes. One last dance with Paige, before he had to tell her.

Together they sailed out onto the dance-floor. He held her tightly to his chest, and her head rested against him. Her body was warm and soft, Heaviside, so soft, and she was so completely at ease around him. A small smile played across her lips, he saw, and she gave a little sigh. In this moment, right now, everything was perfect in her world, and she could ask for nothing more.

'You've dumped queens before,' Tugger told himself as he breathed the scent of her hair. 'Is this different because she's a human?'

No. This was different because she was _his_ human. The only one who could stand him and who gave him food and cuddled with him even when he was in the way.

"Paige, I can't be with you anymore."

She instantly froze in his arms, warmth turning to cold, softness to rock. Then she looked up. The shadow of her smile was still on her face, and there was a glimpse of disbelief in her eyes.

"What?"

The word a whisper, not understanding. Tugger closed his eyes for a second, too embarrassed to look at her.

"I'm sorry. I can't... I can't see you anymore."

He looked at her again. The disbelief had faded, and now her shock was painfully obvious to all.

"I... I... Why?"

A hundred reasons swirled through Tugger's head at once. They were all plausible, all believable, all lies.

"Because I'm not who you think I am," he said finally.

"Then who are you?"

'She wouldn't believe me if I told her. She'd think I was insane. Not even if I told her things that only her cat would know, it would be too big for her. She's only human.'

"I... It's a long story, Paige."

And time is running out.

Tugger could feel how his entire body itched. He knew what it was. The universe had recognized him and known that he was in the wrong shape. It was going to fix it. Soon. Mistoffelees' magic could not hide him anymore.

"I'm sorry. I have to go very soon."

He had thought that she would let him go then, but she kept clutching to his waist.

"I won't let you."

"Paige..."

"You can't leave."

Tugger turned her in their dancing, and they slowly made their way towards the doors. Paige's face was hidden against his chest, and he felt her tears seeping through his shirt, touching his skin. When they were out of view from the rest of the partygoers, Tugger pried her arms off of him. The itching grew worse, and his bones had started to ache, warning him that they were about to change.

"Paige," he said, forcing her to look into his eyes.

She sniffed and turned away, but he managed to look at her face. She was crying, as he had known she would.

"Why are you doing this to me _now_?" she whispered. "Why did you lead me on? Why did you even talk to me at all?"

"I'm sorry," Tugger repeated. He could say nothing else. "I'm really very sorry. There's nothing I can do. You... you deserve better."

Paige snorted. "Yeah, right..."

"You do. Don't let anybody make you think differently."

Tugger suddenly felt a warm sensation spread through his body. When he looked out the window, he saw the large, round Jellicle moon rise, completely engulfing him in tender white light. The eye of the Everlasting Cat was watching him, ready to welcome him back to the feline world.

"You're a great girl, Paige Talbot. I'm sorry I can't drive you home. But... talk to that Andy bloke. I'm sure he can give you a lift."

"I thought you were different. But you're just like the rest of them."

Paige's voice was cold and hard, so unlike her regular one it was frightening. Tugger was about to reply, but a sudden shot of pain ran through him like electricity, and he twitched. His skin was burning, and tiny prickles of something that was not exactly pain and not exactly pleasant began to spread all over his body. His fur was coming back. In a moment Paige would notice. There would be comments.

In a hurry, he planted one last kiss on her lips. She didn't respond to it at all, and she tasted of salt water.

"Bye, love."

Then Tugger turned and ran. As he ran he felt how he shrank. His clothes were suddenly too baggy. He had to stop for a moment and groan in discomfort when his tail grew out, but then he continued on his way.

When he reached the Jellicle junkyard, he was a cat again, and the moon shone down on him from a clear, starlit sky.


	11. Aftermath

**Eleven: Aftermath**

It was a day like any other, and Tugger sat at the Jellicle tire, looking morose and staring at some point in front of him. To any cat he looked as if he was simply pondering his third name, and thus the rest of the tribe left him alone. But Mistoffelees knew Tugger and almost seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to his feelings. The tuxedo cat jumped up on the tire next to his friend and stared at him until Tugger snapped out of his silent reverie.

"What is it, Misto?"

"I was just about to ask you the same question, Tug. You've been out of it ever since you got changed back. Didn't you have fun at the dance?"

"The dance was okay. But afterwards... it didn't go so well."

"I kind of noticed that when you showed up in all your feline glory. Thanks for not bringing back the car, too. That was a nice bit of teleportation I had to do to get it back here." Mistoffelees looked at Tugger, hoping that he would make the maned cat laugh again. When that didn't work he sighed. "Okay, what is it?"

Tugger rolled on his back. "Paige has done nothing but cry ever since the dance. She won't even leave her room. Andy is calling her a lot, I hear Paige's mother speaking to him on the phone, but she won't talk to him herself. All she does in lying on bed, staring into the wall and cries."

"Not really what you had in mind, then."

Tugger sighed. "No." His eyes glinted with a sudden idea. "Hey, Misto, can I ask you a favour?"

"Sure. What do you want to be turned into this time? A hedgehog? A badger, perhaps? I'm sure you'd make a very handsome badger."

"It's nothing like that."

"I draw the line at Pollicles."

"Knock it off, Misto, I don't want to transform again!"

Mistoffelees yawned and stretched out. "Fine. What is it, then?"

"Can you do something so that Paige can hear what I'm saying?"

The magician paused in mid-stretch and stared at him. "You're going to _talk_ to her?"

"I have to explain a few things."

"Are you completely _nuts_? I mean, you've always been somewhat stupid, and I thought you'd learned some things from your experiences as a human, but now that you're a Jellicle again you're obviously back to your old ways." Mistoffelees started pacing the tire, gracefully keeping his balance with his tail. "You can't talk to her. She'd think she'd gone mad and she wouldn't believe a word."

"She'd recognize my voice. She'd know."

"She's human! You're a cat! Can't you get through your thick skull that it's over? Her kin is not a magical specie, not like us. She wouldn't believe it."

"You're underestimating her. She's a strange girl. She _would_ believe, I know she would."

Mistoffelees stopped his pacing and looked over his shoulder at Tugger. "Even if she did, what would you hope to accomplish? You are her friend now. You're her pet. What do you _want_?"

Tugger rolled back onto his belly and looked at the filthy ground. He was silent for a while before he replied.

"I am... not really sure what I want, Misto," he sighed. "Closure, I guess. I want to repair what I broke. I want to get her out of that bed and stop being sad."

"She's a teenage girl. You have to let her mourn her first love. She'll come around, if you just give her some time." There was something pleading in Mistoffelees' voice.

"Misto..."

The magician sighed. "What?"

"I'm thinking of asking Bombalurina to be my official mate. If she accepts, we'll be joined at the next Jellicle Ball."

Mistoffelees' mouth fell open, and he seemed to be gasping for air. He stared at Tugger as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"That's... that's great, Tug," he said softly after a moment. "Congratulations, and all that. Have you talked to her at all?"

Tugger shook his head. "No, I haven't. I figured I would once she shows up. She hasn't been happy about this whole thing with Paige. Please, Misto, I have to put an end to it. For Bomba's sake."

Mistoffelees groaned. "You'll be the death of me, Rum Tum Tugger. Fine. I'll give you some herbs. They'll make you able to walk into Paige's dreams. It's much better that trying to talk with her while she's awake."

"Thanks, mate."

* * *

As the moon shone through her window, Paige Talbot lay in her bed. She was dreaming. Her subconscious picked up a scratching sound as the cat-flap in her window opened and let Tiggery in, but she did not wake up.

_She was wearing her best dress again, the white one that she had worn to the dance. She knew she was pretty in it. But there was something wrong. She was not on her way to the dance at all, for mum and dad had been home when she had gotten ready, and they were gone now. She was alone in the house, and everything was eerily silent. She decided to leave. _

_The street outside her house was crowded with strange, faceless people, who passed her without noticing her presence. She didn't care about them. She was looking for someone in particular, like she looked for him everywhere, on every street and on every corner. _

_She walked, calling his name and trying to stand on her tip-toes to spot him, until she reached the café where they had had their first date. Through the window she could see a dark figure sitting by the table where they had sat, and she hurried inside, her heart beating wildly in her chest. _

_It was him. He sat there, turned against her, and he was smiling. His face seemed a little stiff and his eyes were a little glassed over, but it was absolutely him. On the table in front of him lay a cat, and it was silently allowing itself to be stroked by his rather mechanical hand. _

_"Tom?" she whispered. _

_"Paige," he said, and his voice sounded in a way quieter than it usually did. She could hardly see his lips moving. "There you are." _

_"I was looking for you." _

_"You found me." _

_Oddly enough, she could not really focus on his face. Her eyes were repeatedly drawn towards the cat in front of him. With a sudden pang of realization, she recognized the cat. It was her own, her Tiggery. _

_"Tiggery, what are you doing here?" _

_She sat down on the opposite chair and tenderly began petting her cat. She had been so worried about him when he'd been gone, and was so relieved now that he was back. _

_"I am here because Tom Tugger is here, Paige," said Tiggery calmly. _

_It was no wonder that he was speaking. She had always known he could speak. She just hadn't been able to hear it before. She blinked. _

_"Oh? Do you know Tom?" _

_"I am Tom. Look at my face." _

_His statement was no shock either. She saw, and she knew, as if she had always known. Tom's eyes and Tiggery's eyes were one and the same, and it was strange that she had not even noticed it earlier. _

_"I took human form to help you, Paige," continued Tiggery. "I wanted to make that night special. I'm sorry for what happened." _

_"That's all right," she whispered. _

_Tiggery purred and got to his feet. Tom's hand that had been stroking him, fell and hit the table with a smack. Tom did not seem to notice. He was barely moving, but she was hardy aware of it. He was not important. He was just a shell. All the things that had made him Tom was now in Tiggery, and her cat's eyes sparkled just like Tom's had done. _

_She scratched his chin, and he butted her while purring softly. _

_This is a good dream, she thought. It all makes sense. He didn't want to leave, really. He wanted to stay. This makes it fine. This makes it bearable. _

_Tiggery climbed into her lap and curled up in a furry ball. He seemed so relaxed. _

_She knew it was a dream. But it was such a good dream. Everything was as it should be. It was her and her cat, and that was okay. She would make it through this, even though a part of her hurt, she would make it through. _

_Suddenly Tiggery stood up, and he looked her right in the eyes. She had never seen wiser eyes, eyes that had seen so much that she would never take a part of. _

_"It's better this way," he said. "For us both. You should not grieve so much. I'm not worth it." He nuzzled her one last time. "It was nice talking to you, Paige. It was nice that you heard me, for once." _

_Then he leaned forward and gave her one affectionate lick on the nose._

Paige woke up. It was dark outside, but the sky was slowly turning orange, a sign of the impending new day. A shadow stood out sharply in silhouette to the light, and first Paige was afraid, but then she noticed who it was.

"Hi, Tiggery," she murmured sleepily. "You know you shouldn't be in my bed. Mum doesn't like it. Down with you."

She shooed at him, and to her slight surprise, he actually obeyed. That was very unlike Tiggery. She frowned, grasping after something that had happened just recently, but the memory was quickly fading and went away the second she thought she'd caught it.

"You know, Tiggery," she yawned. "I think I had a dream about you. But I'm not sure. Maybe it wasn't about you, just about someone who was a lot like you."

He gave her a long look, and then he returned to his comfy chair. Paige shrugged and placed her head on her pillow again.

She couldn't quite put her finger on why, but she was suddenly feeling cheerier. It was as if the past days were getting blurred, and she didn't feel like crying anymore. Other things about the dance were coming back to her. She remembered that Andy had been talking to her. He had even driven her home that night. In her despair at Tom's disappearance, she had completely forgotten about that. The bare thought of it now made her smile into her pillow.

A new time was beginning. Maybe the next time Andy phoned, she would answer it herself. Maybe she'd go out with him. Maybe she wouldn't. The world was a lot more exciting now than it had been just a few days ago. It made butterflies fly around in her stomach, and she had to giggle silently to make them go away.

Paige blinked a few times and stretched out underneath the covers. She felt... good. Still sleepy, but good. Perhaps she would try and sleep some more. Crying for days really took it out of you.

She stared out into the darkness for a moment before she closed her eyes. Tiggery was still awake, and he was looking at her with glimmering yellow eyes. Paige thought there was something familiar about it, but the idea vanished from her mind almost immediately.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep again.

This time, there were no dreams, and in his chair sat the Rum Tum Tugger, watching over her, like he always did. Like he always would.

_End_.

* * *

**A/N:** A hearty thank you to all you people who reviewed this story. I never thought it'd be this popular. Thank you very much! 


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